“Closing the post office is not an option”

“The post office, the church and the bistro: these are three important things in a town.” We meet Jean-Pierre in front of the postal office in Sugiez (FR), where he is going to withdraw money. The octogenarian is a regular here. He comes to the counter about once a week. “For the post office,” he exclaims, before specifying that it is mainly a question of stamps or packages.

Despite his joke, Jean-Pierre is “not happy”. On Tuesday, the yellow giant revealed the list of 170 subsidiaries threatened with closure in Switzerland. Nine are located in the canton of Fribourg, including that of Sugiez, a village of around 500 inhabitants located on the shores of Lake Morat. So, this Thursday morning, the customers’ mood sadly matches the gloomy and humid sky.

Change of address and money

In the parking lot, regulars pass quickly. What do they have in common? They want to keep “their” post office and sometimes say so strongly. What are they doing there? Jessica, a 31-year-old saleswoman, comes to announce a change of address. Sometimes she changes money too.

Isabel, a 60-year-old representative, sends packages twice a week. If she admits that email has largely replaced letters in her daily life, she hastens to point out that at the counter, you sometimes have to wait to be served. A sign that there are people. “The winegrowers in the region make many shipments,” she observes.

Customers put forward other arguments. “It’s also a meeting place,” underlines one of them. We line up and talk.” Another notes that the region is growing and is thinking of those who are not motorized. “To go to Murten, for example, you have to take the train,” adds Marc-André. The Post Office is a public service: we cannot reform everything for profit. In Switzerland, we spend money on other things that I don’t find necessary.”

This 69-year-old retiree comes here “for the packages and registered mail”. Payments? He does them over the internet. La Poste points out that, since 2010, over-the-counter payments have fallen by 68%. And the number of letters submitted has decreased by more than a third (-39%) over the last five years. Under these conditions, the yellow giant is banking on partnership subsidiaries to “remain present throughout Switzerland”. And he promises: “Individuals and businesses will continue to benefit of a complete universal service.»

Marc-André spontaneously brings up this alternative which would perhaps allow opening hours to be extended. “That would be acceptable. But there aren’t many stores either, and such cooperation comes with constraints… And then, if people receive a document from the court or the Prosecution Office, they perhaps don’t want it You can find out about it at the grocery store.”

“Between the cornets, it’s not an option”

“Between the cornets, it’s not an option,” says Jean-Pierre. When you go looking for money, you have to have confidence.” Aurélie, a thirty-year-old who lives right next to the post office, has already experienced this. “Before, I lived in Vallamand and the Salavaux post office, where I went, was closed. It was boring, you had to move around. I could also have gone to a hardware store which has resumed the service, but it’s not the same thing. Going to the post office is a habit.”

As a writer, Aurélie uses postal services to send books. If necessary, she will adapt regardless. “You have to live with the times… They may have their reasons for doing so. But if this decision is linked to the fact that people are sending less and less mail, I don’t really see the point in increasing the price of stamps!”

Sending cakes

At 11 a.m., the doors of the Sugiez postal office close for midday. Head to the Guillaume bakery. Many Vully cakes sit on the tearoom counter. The owner of the place, Paola, regularly sends them by express mail. And she says it clearly: “This closure is not possible. I go to the post office three times a week.” The bank has already closed and the forty-year-old turned to the yellow giant to make change or make deposits.

Would she be ready to resume this service? “No, I wouldn’t. There is already so much to do here! And then I would have no legitimacy, I am not in this sector.

This step, other businesses have done it. In Switzerland, many Volg stores provide such a service. This is the case in Cressier, a town in Neuchâtel located about fifteen minutes from Sugiez.

In Cressier, we go to Volg

Change of canton, therefore. In Cressier, 1920 inhabitants, the Volg store has become “the center of the village”, laughs the manager of the small store, Nathalie Melgarejo. She says that initially, seven years ago, the partnership sparked some reactions. “Since then, it has become normal. Seniors can make their payments with us. In fact, we provide almost all services, starting at 6 a.m..”

With her team, she also had to adapt. All have followed a short training course, validated by an exam. And if they have any questions, they can call a contact point.

“For us, this brings a plus,” continues Nathalie. People come to pick up their packages and shop at the same time.” She recognizes that this service brings additional work. “We are seeing in particular an increase in parcels, especially since the Covid crisis. We see 300 pass through per month on average. Around noon or 5 p.m., a lot of customers come. It’s not nothing, but it’s interesting. And it’s a change from everyday life!”

Eva, a 26-year-old freelancer, sends packages to her customers from this store. “There was never a problem,” she assures. I don’t have the impression that other users are unhappy either. Then, we are not very far from other offices either.”

Francine, 72, is more nostalgic. She says she didn’t take the news well at the time. “I wasn’t happy, because I was going to withdraw money at the post office counter… But today, we have problems anyway if we don’t have the internet.” It is in fact his daughter who “fortunately” takes care of his payments.

The Volg store? “I sometimes take a little money here, or some stamps. I am satisfied with the service, but I would prefer that there was still a post office. Over time, social contact becomes restricted.”

Caroline Zuercher has been a journalist in the Switzerland section since 2005. She covers in particular topics related to health and health policy. Previously, she worked for Swissinfo and Le Matin.More info

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