Letter: Bah! Humbug!

Sir: It is the same every Christmas. When we send our greeting cards by airmail, the Post Office never has stamps of the appropriate value. This year, we had to pay 48p for Europe. We were given one 44p and one 4p stamp. The Far East cost pounds 1.06, for which we were given one pounds 1, one 4p and one 2p stamp. The USA cost 99p, made up by one 64p, one 31p and one 4p stamp (we ended up with rather more, because the counter ran out of 4p stamps and on some letters we had to use two 2p instead). The Post Office knows what denominations are going to be required. Why does it not print stamps accordingly?

JOHN HERITAGE

Amersham, Buckinghamshire