A TikToker whose been getting to the bottom of the difference between Royal Mail first and second stamps class has claimed it's in fact all a scam after conducting a little experiment. Watch him explain here:
TikTok user Stage Door Johnny had previously been querying what the actual difference was between the two classes of stamps and how the postal service were able to differentiate them so they'd arrive at different times.
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In theory of course, those posted with more expensive first class stamps attached to them should arrive the next working day, while those stickered with second class stamps can take two days or longer.
However, now his deeply scientific experiment has cast doubt on that theory and arguably the reason for buying first class over second.
He says in the video: "After my video about the second class post blew up lots of people suggested that I send two things in the post - one first class, one second class - and see what arrives first. So that's exactly what I'm going to do."
Johnny opts to send two identical postcards to himself and puts them both in envelopes, the only difference being that one has a first class stamp attached to it and the other a second class stamp.
Cut to him posting the cards at a nearby letterbox. He says: "It's rainy and disgusting, but I've put them in the post last thing on Saturday, so they should be going in first thing on Monday. We'll see what arrives first!"
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Checking the mailbox in his flat on Monday, he finds nothing other than a phone book.
Tuesday, though, is a different story. On opening his mailbox he discovers both postcards have arrived.
"I'm not even joking they've both arrived the same day. I posted them Saturday and they both arrived Tuesday morning," he says in disbelief.
Currently on the Royal Mail website, a book of 12 second class stamps costs £7.92 - that's 66p per stamp. Compare that to a book of 12 first class stamps at £10.20 - 85p per stamp.
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Yet it appears there's no difference to their actual arrival time - at least as far as this one-off experiment is concerned.
This despite Johnny previously posting a video on TikTok where an ex-Royal Mail employee explains what happens when the letters arrive at the post sorting office.
Apparently, a machine called a Culler Facer Canceller reads the phosphor lines on each stamp - a first class stamp has one of these lines going down the middle, while a second class stamp has three of them.
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They're then separated, at which point the first class letters are organised to go on fast planes and other transport to arrive the next day, while second class are held back a day and sorted to be transported by slower road transport to arrive at the local post sorting office.
Your local post office then sorts them back together and delivers both first and second class letters.
The trouble is, in light of this latest video, we're not sure what to believe anymore.
A Royal Mail spokesperson said: "Every item of mail is important to Royal Mail. It is hard to speculate on what may have happened in this incident.
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"Royal Mail aims to deliver First Class mail the next working day including Saturdays. For less urgent mail items, we deliver 2nd Class mail in two to three working days."
Featured Image Credit: CONTENTbibleTopics: UK News, Royal Mail, TikTok