Can you use a post office for a parcel delivery for youself, then simply pick it up from there?

If Parcelforce try to deliver and get no answer they will take it to the nearest Post Office and leave a card for you to collect from there, don't forget to leave it 24 hours before collecting and take ID with you. Royal Mail have a similar system but they return it to the local delivery office which is where the postmen work from, in some locations where the delivery office is a long way from the recipients address they have an arrangement with Post Office to leave it at a local Post Office but the card that is put through the door will always tell you where to collect it.


There is also a service called Post Restante which can only be used for items sent via Royal Mail. The item can be addressed to you Post Restante at the full address of the Post Office including the postcode and it will be retained at that office for seven days awaiting collection after which it will be returned to the sender who incidentally must include a return address on the outside of the package.