Australia Post customers can now grab a barista-made coffee, shop for groceries and try out their new online purchases, while sending mail and paying bills, all in one place.
The National Postal Service has launched its first “concept store,” which looks more like a department store than a post office.
The first one-stop shop opened on Monday in Orange, in central west NSW, and more community hubs will be rolled out in 2024 in Melbourne’s Williamstown, Tasmania’s Burnie and Noosa Heads on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
The concept store has its own café and sells an extensive range of goods, from jackets and jewelry to electronics, including the recently unveiled iPhone 15.
Changing rooms allow customers to try on their online purchases to ensure they fit before taking them home.
Australia’s Post’s first community center in Orange in regional NSW has changing rooms where customers can try on their online purchases
Customers can have a cup of coffee while waiting for packages to be shipped and bills paid at the post office
Australia Post will also trial digital queuing where customers can scan a QR code and instead of waiting in a long queue, relax or browse around the store until they receive a text message when it’s their turn.
The renewal has been 12 months in the making after the Postal Service suffered a $200 million loss in the 2022-2023 fiscal year, its second loss since 1989.
“Today is an important day as we reimagine the Post Office for the future,” Australia Post CEO Paul Graham said.
‘The way Australians use their local post office is very different today than it was ten years ago. We are reinventing the way the Post Office works to support the changing needs of our customers and position Australia Post for the future.”
‘The launch in Orange will allow us to assess what resonates with customers and adapt our approach to inform what is standard across our post office network going forward, and we look forward to rolling out our more locations nationally in 2024. ‘
Australia Post’s first community center opened in central western NSW on Monday
Other new features include dedicated lines for parcel delivery, small business and banking services.
Customers can also return online clothing purchases if they do not fit.
‘We feel that customers want to come to a one-stop shop for services, whether it’s bill paying, postal banking, parcels, mail and in regional towns where people can travel some distances to get to to get to the post office,” Graham said. told the Today program on Monday.
‘They can come here to get the packages and try on the clothes. If they don’t fit or they don’t like, they can walk back out, return them to the counter, get a credit on their account and spend the money again or pocket it. ‘
Australia Post plans to roll out more community hubs (pictured) over the next 12 months