Conspiracy

Well, I've managed to make the effort and I have written out all my Christmas cards so when I went into town today I thought I would get some stamps in the post office. I always go out fairly early, but this morning I think everyone must have taken a 'duvet day' or 'sickie' from work in order to do their Christmas shopping because it was extremely busy everywhere.
When I got to the post office the queue was well out of the door so I decided I would get the stamps in Wilkinson's. The girls on the checkouts there have been trained to ask everyone if they would like any stamps or top ups and as I needed some more suet treats for the birds and a few other bits and pieces, I could easily get the stamps too. However, when I got to the checkout and asked for a dozen second class stamps the girl didn't have any in her till and when she asked the other assistants, they too only had first class stamps as they had all sold out of the second class ones.
The cost of the first class stamps was more than I wanted to pay especially as most of my cards were only going about five miles so I thought I would try in one of the card shops. Eventually, after trying in no less than three cards shops, I managed to get some in the fourth and that was their last lot. It's the same every year, second class stamps become like gold dust from the beginning of December so next year I will have to write out my cards before the end of November and buy the stamps to put on them.
Perhaps the post office restrict the number of books that the shops are allowed to buy so that people have to go to the post office and queue for ages just to make them look busier than they actually are!