I'm a postwoman - AMA

[rararala]

Not very exciting but been a postie for years so AMA.

Do you chuck elastic bands on people's gardens? Any tips for how I can get my postman to stop this? It's infuriating and whilst we're on friendly terms I don't feel able to say anything. Do you get gifts from your neighbourhood at Christmas?

I don't need to ask I know you have fantastic legs.

I was going to ask about parcels too - I always feel a bit bad about getting so many parcels (online shopping for everything) but are posties really annoyed about it or not at all, just consider it part of your job? I do have a large letterbox so most just fit through, and I mostly work from home so can open the door for the rest 99% of the time.

@BigusBumus well parcels for me are probably the worst part of the job, they're very time consuming and I hate carrying them. So when I get someone who does this I do think 'argh not more parcels for number 4' I don't actually hate the person for ordering them lol.

@namechangedbutneedadvice no I never chuck elastics anywhere and if I drop one I always pick it up. I don't drop litter anyway but it's mainly because my dog's weird and eats elastic bands if she gets the chance so I'm scared another dog might eat one I've dropped and it cause them some sort of problem I don't know how you can get your postie to stop without telling him. We get people complaining to us about all sorts so he probably won't think much of you saying it and will still be on friendly terms with you I'd imagine!

Gifts at Christmas really depends on the area and if you're the regular postie or not. I get moved around a lot so most I've had at Christmas is £20 (which was off one person and I was very thankful for!) but one of the guys who's done the same area for years which is also a affluent area has over £1000 in tips every year

@viccat having a large letterbox and being home to open the door a lot makes it wayyyyyyy less annoying but yeah even though I do find parcels annoying I obviously do realise it's part of the job and that you people online shopping help to keep me in a job! It's just the carrying them and the amount of time they take compared to posting a letter I find annoying I don't hold any personal grudges against people who order lots of parcels lol

Do you have a choice of what to choose to carry the mail - most posties I see just have the normal over the shoulder bags but sometimes I see them using trollies?

Just how nosey are you when it comes to people's post?

Do you always have a look and think 'oooh hospital appointment, birthday card, leccy bill' etc?

Ever come across something interesting/embarrassing like a naked person etc?

@ETgo well we're not supposed to carry bags, we're officially only supposed to use the trolleys. I didn't listen to this (most don't as they slow you don't a lot) and now have back problems probably for life.

@Annabelle4 not very nosy no as you just see so much post in a day it's a bit same old same old!

@rararala I have two posties doing my route, both of them are lovely.

Would it be weird or awkward if I were to offer a cold drink or can?

(I gave them both coffee gift cards at Christmas so we are on chatting terms etc, but they do also rush around so I know they are busy and might not want to waste time!)

Apparently buying drugs on the dark web is all the rage these days, and the postie is the last link in the supply chain. Is there a policy in place if you/the office have a suspect package or it blatantly stinks of weed?

@ShotsFired No definitely not weird or awkward! I'm always very grateful to anyone offering a drink in this weather.

@Banterlope yes we have to report anything suspicious to our managers. I've never come across anything myself and haven't really heard a lot about it happening in my office but maybe they're just good at disguising their packages

What's the best way to ask my postie to not drop elastic bands? There are several every day on my street and I worry about the risk to wildlife. They're biodegradable but only after several years and can kill hedgehogs etc.

Why do posties wear shorts in the winter? Always wondered.

I wondered that too but if they are walking 10-12 miles a day maybe they are more comfortable in shorts or maybe they like showing off their legs ?

How big is your round, distance wise? How many properties does it cover?

@blitzen the best way to ask is to just ask, we get asked to do/not do stuff all the time.

@noego I personally wear shorts all year round because they are soooo much more comfortable to walk in than trousers. Also if it rains you're not stuck in soaking wet trousers as your bare legs dry pretty quickly!

@ScarletPower the rounds are normally between 8 - 12 miles long, number of houses varies a lot depending on if you do blocks of flats, houses spaced far apart etc etc