4/21/16 Beginning next month, postal workers in Finland will be delivering more than just mail to residents. Some of Finland’s mail carriers will begin to mow residents’ lawns on a weekly basis starting on May 17th as a way to compensate for a declining demand for postal services.

Postal workers will mow Finns’ lawns on Tuesdays “due to the lower volume of advertisements and publications distributed on that day” between mid-May and August this year. Customers can order the service online and must provide their own lawnmower. Thirty-minute lawn-mowing sessions cost 65 euros, or about $74, per month, and 60-minute sessions are 130 euros, or about $147, per month. The icing on the cake: It’s tax-deductible.

Posti also has two other pilot programs in the works. One program, in partnership with a health-services company, sends postal workers to the homes of people with disabilities, where workers help with chores, warm up meals, and provide support in other daily activities. Another, in partnership with a security company, brings workers to two central Finnish towns to carry out “security services.”

Here is the full press release:

Posti’s online shop will soon accept orders for a new lawn mowing service. The service will be performed in conjunction with mail delivery on Tuesdays and it will be available in one-month packages. The first date the service can be performed is May 17, and the service will be available until the end of August.

Posti has developed new home-delivered services to add more work to mail delivery operations. Traditional mail volumes are falling, but mail routes nevertheless reach some 2.8 households on every weekday. Posti’s new home services will see it transform increasingly into a service company.

“Lawn mowing is the first home service that consumers can order from Posti. We will pilot the service this summer throughout the country. The idea for the lawn mowing service came from mail delivery employees. We believe many customers will be happy to outsource lawn mowing when we make it convenient for them to do so,” says Anu Punola, Director at Posti.

Orders for lawn mowing services will be taken into account in the planning of mail delivery routes. The service will be offered on Tuesdays due to the lower volume of advertisements and publications distributed on that day. The service will be performed using the customer’s lawn mower and within the time estimated by the customer. In the event of rain on the day of intended service delivery, the lawn will be mowed at another time.

“Posti hopes Finland will see great weather this summer and that our customers enjoy the hottest time of the year. This summer, we invite you to rely on our nationwide network of professionals to help you maintain your lawn,” Punola adds.

Mail delivery employees are close to customers

The work of mail delivery employees has become increasingly diverse. With extensive experience of meal delivery, Posti currently delivers some two million meals to Finnish homes annually. As part of the development of new home services, Posti is also partnering with the South Karelia Social and Health Care District Eksote in the provision of home care and services for people with disabilities by assisting customers with eating and daily chores. Posti is also partnering with Securitas to perform security services in a pilot being conducted in the Finnish towns of Muhos and Ylivieska.

Lawn mowing service is tax-deductible for domestic costs

Orders for lawn mowing services can be placed via Posti’s online shop at posti.fi/ruohonleikkaus. The payment methods accepted by the online shop are online banking and credit cards. Customers should also note that the service is tax-deductible for domestic costs.

Service prices:

• 30 minutes every Tuesday, EUR 65/month
• 60 minutes every Tuesday, EUR 130/month

Posti’s lawn mowing service can be ordered in May for the last two weeks of the month. The price will be half of the monthly price. Orders for the lawn mowing service must be placed no later than one week before the start of the next calendar month. Customers will receive an e-mail confirmation of their order and a reminder message on the day before the lawn mowing service is performed.”