Don't even know if I'm asking AIBU - I don't know what to think! Postman!

[strawberrisc]

I work in education so I am off work at the moment - along with my 13 year old daughter as it's half-term.

We've already been out for the last few days and so we're having a lazy day today before going out tomorrow. Despite stocking up she fancied a sandwhich with the one filling I don't have and I fancied a walk - albeit a 5 minute one. The shop is literally a 5 minute walk from our cul-de-sac.

I didn't lock the door because a) you can't break wind in this road without everyone knowing b) both sets of neighbours are in and b) I worry about locking the door and there being a fire.

I was gone less then 15 minutes. When I came back my daughter shouted, as I came in 'is that you? Someone opened the door and came in'. When I looked the postman had left a parcel in my hallway.

I don't know what to think for a number of reasons.

He's a decent guy and we've chatted on several occasions. He's been on this route for years.

But also: when I'm in work his collegue leaves one of those awful cards where I have to go all the way to the sorting office. However, this postman always leaves parcels in my lean-to between the wheelie bins. Why on earth would today be any different? It's a quite close so why would he even try the door and not leave the parcel in the usual place?

It's not just MN OP, it's the entire Internet! FULL TO THE BRIM OF "But why did you" "Why are you" "What did you do that for" You shouldn't be this" "You shouldn't be that"

It's like a new trend.

'Everyone pretends to be absolutely perfect online and then they take pleasure in putting everyone else down!'

I knew before reading the comments that you were going to be SAVAGED for leaving the door open.....!

You cannot disclose that you've done something remotely wrong/controversial on the internet, you'll be shot down in flames!!!!!! Heaven forbid!

(Even though half of these people wouldn't think twice about doing most of the things they gang up on people for online!!)

Whatever happened to respecting other's opinions and keeping your thoughts on this to yourself and merely answering the question at hand??

Nothing wrong with leaving a thirteen year old alone for a short while, but I would always ask her to lock the door and insist she doesn't open it for anyone but me. I think I watch too many programs on investigation discovery where everyone gets murdered!

OP-
My opinion is the postie shouldn't have tried the door, unprofessional and unnecessary especially as you say he usually leaves parcels elsewhere. Overstepping the mark to let yourself into someone else's home.

It may be helpful you don't have to go to sorting office to collect but I'd still rather do that than having someone think it's ok to open my front door.

And for what it's worth I grew up in a small rural cul de sac too and we never locked anything -I now live just on the edge of town and have only just started locking the front door in the day when I'm home-purely because I hate the fact that when some family members come to visit unannounced they just walk in!! Gets my goat!
If a postie opened it I'd go mad helpful intent or not!!

Sometimes things happen that are out of the ordinary - like the armed gang who helped a convicted murderer escape today...He's somewhere in Liverpool they reckon.

If your house is difficult to access and next door's is easier; they'll go next door. That's the whole basis of home alarm systems - a determined burglar will get in pretty much anywhere they want to, given enough time.
But they'd rather not spend the time and risk getting caught, so they opt for something easier and quicker.
Unless you are being specifically targeted, a locked door will certainly give you more protection than an unlocked one, who could argue otherwise?

Ignoring the whole door being unlocked thing, OP are you going to talk to the postman?

OP, I think the postman probably always tries your door first to see if it's open, and if it isn't he leaves the parcel in the lean-to. I wouldn't bother talking to him about it.

My postie usually leaves things in the porch for us, which is always unlocked (even at night, although it keeps me awake thinking about the coats and shoes getting stolen (not)) and sometimes, if the dogs aren't barking, he'll open the main door (which is unlocked all day if we're in, and occasionally when we're out when I forget to lock it) and leave the letters on the door mat.

It would never occur to me to lock my front door when I'm in. But then, I once left my purse with £50 in it sat on my front wall, went out for the evening, came back and it was still there.

Jeez 'navyandwhite' is on fire on AIBU today...

To answer the OP's original question...I think the postie probably always tries the door and this time is just happened to be open. Presumptuous to open the door and walk in rather than ringing the bell first to see if there's someone in to take the parcel.

If this is becoming more common, I wonder if any opportunistic burglars hang around during post delivery rounds and make a note of any doors that the postie is able to open?

I've always happened to live in houses with a Yale, usually as well as a deadlock, so leaving the door unlocked when I'm in or out has never been something I've had to consider as an active choice.

Op....we usually get ds to lock the door when we go out. He is 17 now. However when he was around 13 he opened door to postman...took parcel and then licked himself out and sat in the shed till we came home! It was the first time we had left him and were gone for 30 minutes or so! It terms of postman trying the door I think it is really weird that he did that.

Locked.....not licked

Haha Doobydoo that is the best typo ever, just picturing it now

OH WAIT! I thought you mean licked the house !! Ok I take it back, that sounds so wrong !!! sorry, on school run and not concentrating

I would have made DD eat something that we already had in the house.

Didn't we do daytime locking of doors a week or two ago?

I've never lived anywhere where the front door didn't automatically lock on closing - the sort you can open from inside by the lock handle to get out without a key but you can't get in from outside. I honestly didn't know there were any front doors that needed manual locking. So I think it's bizarre that a postman would try the door as round here they lock when you shut them.

Well I didn't realise people still used the type that automatically lock on closing because they're less secure and it's so easy to lock yourself out.