The grass is always greener ….
In a striking example of a postal company looking to branch out and diversify its service offering, Finland’s Posti has announced that its posties are now ready to mow customers’ lawns. In a statement posted on its website today (21 April), Posti said that the service “will be performed in conjunction with mail delivery on Tuesdays” and it will be available in one-month packages. The first mow of the season will be on 17 May and the service will be available until the end of August.
Like many postal operators, Posti has been adding more strings to its bow to compensate for the decline in traditional mail volumes.
Anu Punola, Director at Posti, commented: “Lawn mowing is the first home service that consumers can order from Posti. We will pilot the service this summer throughout the country. The idea for the lawn mowing service came from mail delivery employees. We believe many customers will be happy to outsource lawn mowing when we make it convenient for them to do so.”
Posti decided that Tuesday would be the best time to run the lawn mowing service due to the lower volume of advertisements and publications distributed on that day. Posti said that the service will be performed using the customer’s lawn mower and within the time estimated by the customer. In the event of rain on the day of intended service delivery, the lawn will be mown at another time.
Summarising some of its over diversification plans, Posti said: “The work of mail delivery employees has become increasingly diverse. With extensive experience of meal delivery, Posti currently delivers some two million meals to Finnish homes annually. As part of the development of new home services, Posti is also partnering with the South Karelia Social and Health Care District Eksote in the provision of home care and services for people with disabilities by assisting customers with eating and daily chores. Posti is also partnering with Securitas to perform security services in a pilot being conducted in the Finnish towns of Muhos and Ylivieska.”
