Composition No 601.735: Royal Mail

Bought some postage stamps today and was somewhat phased by the asking price of £6 for 12.
I tried to bargain citing shrinking customer base, traditional values and my liking for my local posties, but the assistant stubbornly insisted that the price reflected the service.
She may be right. However I see from Private Eye that Royal Mail intend to further increase the price of a postage stamp to a whopping £3 million pounds on the basis that if even one customer sends a letter then the annual loss will be wiped out instantly ........