Would you ever open a strangers door to accept their delivery?

[Giantjuicyskittle]

As a cleaner who is in the house alone and doesn’t know the family who live there, would you open the door if someone knocked?

the family had ordered their weekly food shop to arrive while I was there without warning me. They expected me to accept the delivery and put it away.

1. I wouldn’t be comfortable with that, how do you even pick a strangers subs!? Or if there was something wrong with it? Or I damaged something like dropping eggs!?
2. I don’t know where they store specific food items.
3. I don’t have time and I don’t get paid for it.
4. it would feel incredibly rude to open the door, plus make me feel vulnerable “ I’m so and so’s mum” when actually they just want to steal from the house.

They are angry I didn’t answer the door and they missed their shop. They don’t want me to return.

So am I a bad person or are they CFs?

All agencies we used clearly stated that the cleaners would not accept deliveries.

My current one does open the door for deliveries but DH is normally at home as well and she will call if a signature is required.

My cleaner is here for 4 hours and has less to do, the family is cheap.

This is what I would have done too.

That's beyond a cheeky request, the fact they didn't ask you and check it's ok is insane!

I'd answer the door for post but not a delivery like that.

My first response is to think
"Cheeky cunts"

My second and third response is much the same. So I'll stick with that as it seems accurate.

If it was San agreed apart of the job, that's obviously different, but it shouldn't just be expected.

Cheeky cunts

Seems reasonable enough for you to accept it. It's not like it's hard work is it

My cleaner will answer the door if she hears it and is nearby. It takes some of us ages to get to the door sometimes.
I'd personally answer it if I was close by and not in my marigolds, right on the middle of something a bit messy. I'd say it's more unhelpful to ignore the door going if you know the others either aren't in or didn't hear.

I would be completely confused in your shoes if a food delivery turned up while
I was cleaning and i hadn't been warned. I would assume it was a mistake. Very unreasonable of the homeowners to not check with you first.

They are BVU to expect you to do this without asking.

Is my maths correct? Thinking of a large kitchen diner as two rooms, that’s 12 minutes per room? Whaaat?

To be fair if u was cleaning and no one else in answering the door yes why not? Taking a parcel in again why not uts not hard. I prob would have took shopping in and charged them extra if it put me over time wise bunged fresh items in fridge and frozen in freezer. I don't think it's yo much but they defo should have let you know.

I cannot understand why anyone could be so mean-spirited as to not bother answering the door when you are in the house anyway.

Because it could be someone saying they are here to read the meters and you don't want to let a strange person into someone's house, because you are hoovering and don't hear the bell, because it could be someone collecting for charity or selling or Jehovahs Witnesses and you are trying to just get your job done.

Op you did the right thing. Give them an inch and theyll take a mile! Whats next walking kids to school, making dental appointments, fetching dry cleaning

My cleaner has been with me for a few years and is a neighbour so I know her pretty well but I wouldn't ask her to do this, its an unfair expectation.
I would expect a cleaner to take in an Amazon parcel or similar and put it on the floor in the hallway but nothing more

YANBU
the only time I did this was a one off when I thought I'd be home but got delayed. I Only asked her to put fridge/freezer stuff away and I'd do the rest when I got back.
I can't believe they didn't ask you in advance if you minded! It can take ages to put away if you've done an enormous shop so they're bang out of order.

My cleaner usually works with headphones on so I wouldn't expect her to even hear the door. But I certainly wouldn't expect her to take shopping in without prior agreement. That's well outside the scope of your work.

Id have put the food away but left a note saying it took however long so you didn't hoover the bedrooms or whatever.

My cleaner would take in a parcel (I have never asked her to, but sometimes we’ve had parcels arrive when she happened to be here), but I wouldn’t expect her to take in a food shop except in an emergency and I’d let her know.

but it sounds like you’re well rid - that’s a lot of house for three hours.

To take in a parcel yes so long as it was for that house not a neighbour. Shopping ?, I think I would have taken it in and put the the freezer/fridge stuff away so it didn’t spoil and just take whatever subs were offered, but I would have reported back to the company you work for and explain that the normal work wasn’t completed because of this. Maybe leave a note to the homeowner, along the lines of, I took in the shopping but the time spent doing this meant the kitchen floor wasn’t washed. It’s then up to them if they ask you todo it again.

that’s another point, I think they could have at least left a note to you that a delivery is due so you are expecting it.

The people you clean for should have told the company, the company could then ask you, or tell their clients, it's not part of your job description. You are absolutely in no way at fault, the clients are not your employers, the agency you work for are.
Good cleaners are like gold dust round here, so you'd probably be far better off being your own boss and cutting out the agency. Not only would you have agency over your hours, higher pay, and no ambiguity over your duties.

Maybe a parcel but not a whole food shop, they should have told you