FX.co ★ Message in bottle to be sent at any Russian post office

Now you can celebrate getting a long-awaited parcel right at the post office. Customers of the Russian Post noticed a new line of products which are sold at the post office. In addition to newspapers, magazines, raffle tickets, calendars, and postcards, there are alcohol products. Thus, the Federal service attempts to raise its profitability developing retail trade and offering a wider choice of products. “Presently, spendings on postal services are well above earnings. Moreover, the organization is not a state entity thus it has to cover losses from postal services at the expense of retail sales and financial services”, - the Kaliningrad office of the Russian Post said. The license of The Ministry of Industrial Policy, Entrepreneurship and Trade of the Kaliningrad Region issued in 2013 stipulates sales of alcohol, mainly beer and other low-alcohol drinks. The Moscow authorities see this situation differently. “Some Russian Post offices have an alcohol license; however, these products partially are being withdrawn, and hard liquors will not be sold at all. There are no radical decisions on this issue,” said Nikolay Belyakov, the Head of Regional Cooperation Department. According to Mr. Belyakov, “it is likely that final stocks are being sold off” and very soon the post office customers will see new products such as office supplies, writing instruments, and sets of periodicals. “Of course, we need a time to put it in order. However, by the end of the year, the retail optimization results would be visible across many regions,” – Belyakov noted.