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The Economist - Europe - Gonna sit right down and write myself a letter [November 27th 2025] : The Danish post is the first to end letter collection, but others will follow Subtitle : The Danish post is the first to end letter collection, but others will follow Summary : Denmark will become the first European country to cease letter collection and delivery, driven by a 90% decline in letter volume over 25 years and a new law ending the universal service obligation. While global letter volumes have plummeted, parcel shipments are rising, with some postal services like Italy's Poste Italiane and Germany's Deutsche Post DHL thriving through diversification. State-owned postal services face challenges, with Greece and Canada experiencing closures and strikes, and the USPS reporting significant losses. Denmark's move may set a precedent for others. - - - o 0 o - - - Everyone knew that this very day was coming fast in over the horizon. And now we're there, suddenly. Feels strange, 10 years from now, everybody will have forgotten about it, and your grandchild may surprise you one day with the question 'Gandpa, what was a Post for a thing back then?' Inevitable for them all, Denmark first, dying businesses, impossible to keep them running, whatever one try. - - - o 0 o - - - End of 2025 it will also be 9 years ago the Danish check system was definitively abolished and closed down, so no checks bouncing around here ever since. - 'Grandpa, what does it mean when this guy called Warren Buffett wrote : '...our checks will always clear!'? - And what was the opposite called'?' Back in 2011 I was entertaining the office telling stories, then suddenly a young colleague, interrupted me : 'John - what's a telex?' After explaning it, she looked stunned at me, 'So archiving was storing long stripes of paper rolls with punced holes? ' - Christ I felt old! - - - o 0 o - - - Article attached. The Economist - Europe - Goona sit right down and write myself a lettter - Denmark gets ready to cancel Christmas cards - 20251127.pdf