"It looked like Russian Post couldn't sink any lower, but it turns out they could," he complained, taking to the VKontakte social media platform with photos of beer stacked up for sale at the counter.

This left only one cashier position free, which was "already witnessing an involved discussion about bed linen. So now we can expect the local winos to hold things up even more," he lamented about the bottles, priced at up to 135 roubles ($2; £1.60) a piece.

'You Want Kebabs With That?'

Comments on the VKontakte page also mix exasperation with humour, while some comfort themselves with the thought that at least they "won't get bored in the queue anymore".

Others think it is only a matter of time before the post office starts selling kebabs too. "What about condoms, cigarettes, and a couple of tables in the corner as well?" another user suggests. One can only ask : Could this work in Australia ?