Downsizing strikes again at the postal service. Following in the footsteps of villages Feutersoey, Lauenen and Saanenmöser, the post office in Gsteig will cease operations this October.
“We weren’t exactly surprised when we heard the news for the first time in March,” says Gemeindeschreiber (town clerk) Paul Reichenbach. “After all the post office closings, we knew a similar fate could befall Gsteig-bei-Gstaad.”
Replacing the full-service post office will be a manned postal window located in Peter Beetschen’s Cheslade, a small shop nearby, where basic services such as bill-paying and mailing letters and packages will be available. Cheslade also offers food staples and hygiene products, saving residents the trip down to a larger grocery store in Gstaad.
Despite a slowdown in business, Gsteig had a better chance than most villages of retaining a post office due to its somewhat larger population and mountain pass locale. That said, the slim margins typical of post offices could not bear the increased competition (mostly in the parcel delivery sector) and rising operational costs.
Changes in the way people communicate have figured in the downturn. Thanks to the Swiss Post’s popular internet portal, many customers pay bills can online. Once ubiquitous pay phones have been nearly wiped out due to cell phone use. Further, rather than sending handwritten cards or letters, many Swiss now choose to send text messages or emails.
