Royal Mail has confirmed that from October 25, parcels held at Post Office branches or Royal Mail Parcelshops will only be available for collection for 10 days, down from the previous 18-day period. The change, initially scheduled for October 18, has been delayed by a week.
What the change means for customers
The reduced collection window applies to items specifically chosen for delivery to a Post Office or Parcelshop during checkout, as well as parcels redirected there after an unsuccessful delivery attempt at the recipient's address. However, items held at a Customer Service Point, including Post Office branches operating as such, will still be retained for the full 18 days.
A Royal Mail Parcelshop, sometimes called a Royal Mail Shop or designated drop-off point, is a physical site such as a local corner shop, a regular Post Office branch, or a parcel locker where customers can send, collect, or return parcels. Royal Mail operates a network of more than 24,000 drop-off and collection locations across the UK, including rebranded Collect+ outlets, conventional Post Office branches, parcel lockers, customer service points, and parcel postboxes.
Broader postal reforms
The parcel collection update is part of a wider package of reforms to modernise Britain's postal service. Standard second-class letters will now be delivered on alternate days only, and standard bulk business letters, which often include household bills and bank statements, are moving to a three-day delivery timeframe. First-class deliveries will continue as a six-day-a-week service, operating from Monday to Saturday.
Royal Mail anticipates the new delivery arrangements will be fully rolled out across all of its 1,200 delivery units by the end of 2026. The company is also revising its performance standards, now targeting 90% of first-class letters delivered by the next day, down from the previous 93% objective. For second-class post, the target is being reduced to 95% delivered within three days, down from 98.5%.
