Prestwich Post Office is a rare example of a remaining crown post office in 2021, with many Post Office locations now put inside newsagents, especially WHSmith stores, they're becoming rare now and the list seems to be getting smaller every day with services becoming much fewer and unreliable, so it's nice to see this location still exists.
It is located on Kingswood Rd, it is close to the Longfield Centre as well as nearby supermarkets, it is also on a main road meaning buses stop near enough right outside on multiple lines, heading into Burnley/Accrington/Manchester and a few other destinations.
The staff seemed friendly and I was served straight away, given all the relevant forms which I needed as I was posting an international item, but admittedly they were busy, they did have a barrier in place to aid queuing, this was a little annoying as it meant I had to walk all the way around when there was no queue, I would much prefer they had a ticket system similar to the Manchester Spring Gardens branch, but maybe this branch just isn't big/busy enough for that?
The opening hours could be better, They close at 4:30 pm during the week and at noon on a Saturday, if you do need a post office after these hours you might have to head into Manchester city centre, they do have a Post Box outside, however, but you might want to wait for the Post Office to open as obviously, Royal Mail does require proof of posting if an item goes missing and you have to claim, especially if it is an expensive item, rather than just a letter.
There were no self-service postage machines, I do like using these when I'm in a hurry and just have to post one or two things, again this could be a space issue but I have seen smaller Post Office locations, even those incorporated inside a WHSmith or other newsagents use them so it could be possible.
Pretty good Post Office for a small town, but I don't know how much longer it will last. 4* read more