Sirharris.com

I am required, for one reason or another, to send a frequent amount of international mail. I drive to my local Post Office, my item carefully packaged beneath my arm, and an element of trust is exchanged between myself and the pleasant cashier.

"Now there definitely aren't any bank notes in this package are there sir?" he questions with one eyebrow sharply raised.

"No, no, today it is just drugs" I explain, with the prerequisite chitter-chatter that occupies my life.

I am not one to criticize Royal Mail, they very rarely let me down. I just thought I ought to share a simple nugget of information I have abstracted:

1) A package sent by Royal Mail Airmail from Warwick, England to the United States, weighing 400g, costs £4.22.

2) That same package, traveling from Warwick, England to the United States, weighing 400g, can be sent by Royal Mail Airsure at a higher priority with an additional cost of £4, equaling a simple total of £8.22.

3) Royal Mail state that the package sent by the, more expensive, Airsure service "typically" arrives in the United States one day earlier than their International Recorded Delivery service, thus explaining the premium charge.

4) The International Recorded Delivery service estimates to arrive in the United States (classified as "The Rest Of The World") within five working days. Therefore Airsure customers can expect their package to arrive within four working days.

5) Independant statistics, published by Unex, state that, over a nine month period, packages sent by Airmail did the above stated journey, from Warwick, England to the United States, in three days.

So, you pay an extra £4 for the peace of mind that your package will arrive in the United States in four working days. Or you can save that money and know that, statistically, your Airmail package is going to arrive in three days anyway.

Of course at night I could soothe myself to sleep believing that a sticker on my package reading "Royal Mail Airsure: Priority Mail" may mean something to the receiving North Philadelphia postal worker, but lets be honest for a moment - it isn't.