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Original poster

Online supermarket shopping deliveries, a plea!

12 replies

ginjenny · 29/09/2019 10:35

Hi Mumsnetters, my OH is an online shopping supermarket delivery driver and can I make an impassioned plea?

He loves his job, he is always polite (although some customers aren't, fortunately they are in the minority!), he finds it rewarding and will always put the crates wherever the customer wants, he'll stop for a chat with the older customers, he'll unpack if the customer wants, but the one thing that he really has a problem with is the lack of numbers/names on the properties! It's a real problem in the dark when the whole street has no lights, the house has no lights and then the house doesn't have a number, how is he supposed to find them? Even during the day it can be an issue if the house number is not prominent! His eyesight is good, but trying to work out which house is which, with no number, can be a problem when sitting in a van many metres away, looking for parking, traffic backing up behind etc!

Also, on the houses that do have numbers, they're in black! How can he see these in the dark? Or the numbers/names are completely hidden by large trees/shrubs etc!

It's only a small thing, but it can be a real problem for delivery drivers!

OP posts:
GrandmaSharksDentures · 29/09/2019 10:43

Yep, same for emergency services. Can be a nightmare trying to find an address in an emergency after a 999 call - very few people look out for us!

SuzieBishop · 29/09/2019 10:55

I used to home visit elderly people and I was always sent to the houses that were named instead of numbered and I could honestly never find them 🙄

britnay · 29/09/2019 10:56

One of our neighbours have a named property (we're rural, so no house numbers), except they haven't bothered to put up a name sign anywhere, so deliveries always come to us first as that's where the post code points you! Drives me mad!

DuchessDumbarton · 29/09/2019 11:22

Oh yes, OP, excellent.
I used to work in a job that required me to call to people at home as part of their care.

As a result, I am excellent at directions and cannot think of the last time I got lost.
That is in spite of the appalling directions, lack of street signs, house numbers etc. that people have given.

So, yes, at the very least, please stick a clearly obvious house number somewhere on your door/gate/porch. YOU might think it's obvious, but it's not clear to me when I've never been to your estate before.

janj2301 · 29/09/2019 18:53

I do canvassing for the council. Knocking on doors to get people to confirm their details for the Elctoral Register. I always joked that when i ruled the world every home would have a number on it, legible from the street. A light in the porch/hall that was turned on so visitors could read their paperwork.

Original poster
ginjenny · 30/09/2019 10:38

It's seems such a minor thing to do, putting up a prominent house number, but it gives my OH such a lot of grief and wasted time!

Surely if you do have these deliveries, please at least make it easier for the delivery driver to find you!

Also, re the bagless deliveries now, my OH will always take away old bags back to the depot for recycling!

OP posts:
LeekMunchingSheepShagger · 30/09/2019 10:45

I notice this all the time too! I visit people at home as part of my job and often have to search for a house on the street that does have a number and then count in 2s until I find the house i want! And of course that only works if you know which direction to go.

FoldenHoard · 30/09/2019 10:50

This thread has just made me realise how bad our house would be to identify in the dark 😬

BarbaraofSeville · 30/09/2019 11:01

Leek

And that the street follows the convention off odds on one side and evens on the other, because some don't.

Our house is probably terrible as we have a very long front drive, so the numbers on the doorway would have to be about a foot high to be visible. Also doesn't help that, despite being the first house on our side of the road, we aren't 1 or 2 but a higher number, with the lower ones not existing.

I don't know if they were never built, or have possibly being demolished - there is a large grassed area where the 'missing' houses could have been - intrigued now, must google.

I think they are on the side of one of the bins, so careful positioning of that may help, or could put numbers on the gate.

vickkiMommy · 30/09/2019 11:15

I totally understand your problem. My front door is behind the flight of stairs for upstairs entryway. I constantly have to explain where I am to delivery drivers there seems to be nowhere I could possibly put a number that might be visible from the carpark/street

IWantMyHatBack · 30/09/2019 11:19

Big numbers on wheelybins are really useful for this, esp as they're often reflective.
It's a huge problem for emergency services

StopMakingATitOfUrselfNPissOff · 30/09/2019 11:24

Our street has totally confusing numbering, it literally makes no sense. We are number 3 (for example) but 2 and 4 are the opposite end of the road, it's bonkers. Not helped by the fact our garden backs onto the road rather than our front door.
We have put a number on the back gate but it doesn't really help. I don't know what would tbh

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