I just posted a letter in our local post box and as it dropped inside I noticed the next collection is 9 AM tomorrow.Apparently changes have been ongoing since Oct 2014, clearly this means my letter will be delivered at least a day later than previously. What happened to 1st class mail being delivered next day.
http://www.royalmail.com/personal/help-and-support/postboxes-faqs

First class post seems to be a thing of the past, although we still pay for the privilege .

What I find quite astounding is that a friend who regularly posts orders of heavy consignments out to Japan, says they arrive within 48 hours.
So, posted Monday , they will generally arrive at their destination before Wednesday midday in Japan. that's service, isn't it ?

I ordered two items before Xmas, both on the same day. One from East Anglia, the other from China.

The China one came first.