Postal Services St. Maarten (PSS) is going through some difficult times. Already suffering considerable losses before, partly due to the Internet, parcel services, etc., like many traditional mail organisations, its building was badly damaged by Hurricane Irma and could no longer be used.
Despite all this, PSS last week had to distribute 16,258 voting cards not picked up at the substations. It did so under difficult circumstances with still abandoned broken homes, missing street signs and people having been displaced.
Having said that, today’s announcement that the MoneyGram service will end for now effective Saturday seems inopportune, to say the least. With the closure of Western Union in Cole Bay this was clearly an opportunity to get more income and PSS confirmed its number of money transfer clients had increased as a result to an average 250 per day or 5,000 monthly.
To be sure, the reason given of personnel and customer safety is valid. Let’s face it, the way people accumulate outside the provisional office in Philipsburg opposite the original PSS premises to do their cash-only business is a crime-risk at best, despite the presence of security.
It seems the Government-owned company must shortly also leave its current location, while its building isn’t yet ready to move back in as hoped. Container offices are now even being considered as a temporary alternative.
Be that as it may, PSS would do well to find a way to reopen a MoneyGram service somewhere sooner rather than later, as its one activity that is pretty much a no-brainer when it comes to generating revenues for a financially-troubled operation.
That’s just common sense.
