aibu to think postman should not be changing tyres/ talking at length with people on his rounds?

[Nomorepat]

Waiting for an important letter which is dependent on what time I receive it today. So go for a stroll to see if postie is in area. There is he is in the next street changing some girl's tyre for her-I know this is not his car and ours is his last street. He then proceeds to chat to this girl for about 10 minutes, then another woman for about 5 minutes.

I am peed off about this. AIBU?

If he was on a break of course no one has the right to complain but if you're on the job you're supposed to be working, as other pp have compared it with different scenarios its the same thing

Like the not at all crazy example of the midwife leaving off delivering a baby 'to pull a few pints as the local barmaid'? Yes, I too thought that was absolutely the same thing.

Geez, just imagine how you would all feel if everyone who could help you just walked by and said "not my job"

One day op that could be you. Stuck in a cold car unable to go anywhere hoping that the aa turn up whilst people just walk on by.

You sound like one of the customers I've had to serve sodding wanting serving whilst we wait for an ambulance to turn up for another customer. Stepping over them on the way to the counter.

He is being paid to deliver letters on a round, he will have all the mail for that area to deliver within a certain amount of time, he is not being paid to deliver the letters at a certain time. If he manages this to do his job and a little extra within his shift brilliant, if his takes longer then its for his boss to deal with.

Its not for the OP or anyone else to dictate what time their mail should be on their doorstep for.

She didn't know if the letter was in his mail bag so she might not have received it today anyway and the postie had no idea that any of the mail in his bag was for her or if it was urgent.

He did his job.

I bet he takes his pesky cat, Jess, with him on his rounds!!!

MelanieRavenswood That is it exactly. To my mind there is no difference between what the postman did and a PO counter assistant nipping out to change a tyre while people are in the queue.

Would those calling me unreasonable be quite so understanding in this situation, I wonder? Doubt it.

Or they're strapped for time in a shop and the assistant nips out to change a tyre.

Think the lone-female-tyre situation has biased some. Like I said, ours was his last street; why not change the damned tyre after his round. Fair enough that would be in his own time.

Gileswithachainsaw. Doubt that somebody collapsing is the same as a change of tyre, is it? Hardly comparable. And I'll say this: if I was in your queue in this situation, I would be prepared to wait.

This was broad daylight by the way on a residential street. This girl was not stranded in middle of nowhere.

Lovecat I thought exactly the same as you. I doubt it's in a security guards job description to piss off people walking past. But according to Nomorepat that's fine.

You wasn't waiting in a queue. You was waiting at home for something that didn't have to be delivered by a certain time. If you hadn't gone out looking for him you would have been none the wiser and would have just accepted the letter would arrive when ever.

The PO counter example is completely different. The person serving at the counter would have to leave the shop to change a tyre. The postie was walking past.

It's more akin to the person at the counter helping someone whose toddler had just tipped the contents of their bag all over the floor, or someone whose shopping bag has burst in the shop. I'd be quite happy for shop staff to actually help the customer out because you never know when it might be you needing the help.

I'd still think you're a total misery is it was a burly bloke whose tyre he was helping to change. It would still be helping another human out and A Good Thing.

Well they are legally entitled to a break. Maybe he took it or does he need to ask first if changing a tyre is an acceptable way of spending it.

Stop bloody moaning! You got your letter, and the postman did someone a lovely favour. Everyone's a winner!

I really don't know what this thread is all about, but I'm so glad I don't see the bad in everything. It must be exhausting to be so grumpy.

Hardly comparable?

Yet you compared a postie to a midwife. My comparison was no worse!!

Also, it's not a fucking queue where people are waiting to be served. You were waiting at home for your post to be delivered. No promises beyond 'today' had been given.

Not the same thing at all.

Maybe I'm just old-fashioned in that I think when people are paid to do a job they do that job as their primary duty and everything else-bar genuine emergencies -can wait. Obviously I am.

Didn't realise that the consensus was that Postman could treat his job as a social run.

And so glad you would have been prepared to wait in my queue. You wouldn't have had a choice though!!

In fact, had promises of today even been given?

It's a valid comparison, the PO counter assistant has to leave the shop and the Postman's 'shop' if you like is walking and delivering letters and not being sidetracked by anything else than emergencies.

Ha! You're over-egging the pudding now op. This made absolutely no difference to your day, yet you're still moaning about what the postman did for someone you've never met in the next street.

Perish the thought that this had happened on a day when you weren't home and you never got to find out about it. Who would have made the bloke feel bad for being normal then?

Yes, OP, you are the only person who thinks the world is a better place is people don't do each other favours and show kindness. HTH.

It is not a valid comparison. The only way in which the two are similar is that they involve post.

What do you class as a genuine emergency? How do you know that the person who he was helping didn't have a genuine emergency? you have no idea of the circumstances prior to you seeing the tyre change, so have no idea what the owner of said tyre was going through or why they needed their car.

You got pissed off because something wasn't happening when you wanted it to so have gone out hunting for something to vent your anger at.