Anyone who has ever spent an hour waiting in line at the post office to pick up a small package knows that feeling of disappointment all too well. That’s why “Slovenian Post” is trying to keep up with the times and introduce innovations. Traditional post offices in small towns and urban neighborhoods are gradually being replaced by partner locations located directly inside regular stores.
A new pilot concept the company is developing, called maláPOŠTA, brings basic postal services directly under the roof of retail chains. Following its recent launch in Partizansko, this service has gone live, for example, at the COOP Jednota supermarket in the Veča district of Šalej.
What You Can Do at the Store
The purpose of the project is to maintain access to services even in places where operating a traditional standalone post office would be economically unfeasible. This way, customers don’t have to travel to a regular post office to handle everyday tasks.
At a partner store, residents can conveniently take advantage of the following services:
- pick up a package, including those with cash on delivery;
- receive a package that was held after a failed delivery attempt by a courier;
- drop off pre-packaged and prepaid packages for shipment.
What about the security of held packages?
The placement of postal services inside supermarkets has raised security concerns for some people. In the first photos from the opening, simple paper boxes for collecting prepared packages appeared near the checkout counters, causing customers to worry about potential theft.
However, “Slovenian Post” refutes these concerns and explains the exact operating procedure. The packages themselves, intended for pickup, are not left out in the open on the sales floor.
- Store Premises: Packages for pickup are stored in special lockable cabinets in a secure area of the store.
- Staff access: Only store employees who handle parcel pickup have access to these areas.
- Sending a Package: The drop-off boxes located at the front near the cash registers are used exclusively for the quick drop-off of packages that have already been paid for online, which are then accepted by staff.
The project is being adopted by an increasing number of regions, and the postal service plans to continue expanding this concept. For ordinary people, this means significant time savings, as sending important letters or packages can now be combined with grocery shopping.
