Credits: Social Media
American says UK is ‘winning’ because of its clever zip code system
The US and UK are always arguing over which is the better country, and one man finally has the answer.
He says the UK is ‘winning’ because of one strange thing. Not the food or people – just its clever zip code system!
UK ‘winning’ thank to clever zip code system
“As Americans living in London, this is why the UK is winning,” the man, known as Kjordy, said on TikTok. “We have to talk about their postcode system.”
He explained that each postcode, which is the equivalent of the US’s zip codes, can pinpoint a location down to a few houses or even a single building.
“You could be standing on one side of the street and have a completely different postcode on the other side,” he said in disbelief.
However, in the US the average zip code is approximately 82 miles. Yes, 82 whole miles can have the exact same one! In the US, a zip code indicates a whole area of a state not just a road or a few houses.
American codes are just five different numbers, but UK postcodes also give a hint about the location, which he said “makes things so much easier”. Each postcode begins with a letter or group of letters. For example in London, some start with N or E to represent the North or East of the city.
Other towns and cities use an abbreviation of the word. For example: Manchester = M, Newcastle = NE and Birmingham = B. Generally, a lower number means the house or building is closer to the city center too. M1 would be the center of Manchester, but M25 would be much further out.
“If one of my friends wants to meet at a coffee shop and he texts me the postcode and it’s NW4, I know automatically it’s gonna be northwest London,” he said.
“I’ve got to give it to you Brits, with this system there’s no way I could go back to zip codes,” the American concluded.
‘America are so far behind’
In the comments, British people are flabbergasted and always assumed that America used a similar system.
One person wrote: “Every time I hear about things like this & instant bank transfers or contactless America are so far behind.”
“America is stuck in the 1980s,” another person commented.
A third person added: “You will find a lot of things about Britain make sense. Britain specialises in convenience!”
Which system do you think is better?
