I'm a postie Ama

[Postieonthego]

What is DM26? Is the Royal Mail on its knees? Where's my post? AMA.

We seem to get post about every 2 weeks. All saved up into one bundle. What's going on?

Why do you always need to take a picture when I am at my most scruffy? Also can I just hide when you take the picture?

How many steps do you do a day? I imagine you're well over 10,000.

Is it a stressful job?

Have you been bitten by a dog?

Parcels are prioritised over letters. Regardless of what the CEO has told parliament this is an every day issue. In my office of about 100 staff, 18 are currently off sick.
The number of parcels has significantly increased, so letters are left in the office and in some cases delivered weekly.

Why do you knock on the knocker AND use the doorbell? It wakes the baby.

How much does it pay?

"Oh he's lovely he won't hurt you."
Yesterday and Great Dane who was 'lovely' and 'wouldn't hurt me' knocked me to the ground and sunk is teeth into my post bag.
I think it's less that a dog will bite you and more of the fear it will.
Some dogs are lovely and if you are a regular postie you get to know them, but as some posties now change rounds on a weekly or even daily basis, there is no trust.
If your dog bites a postie the union will do all in its power to have the animal destroyed.

Closer and closer to minimum wage.

Because many, many, MANY doorbells don't work. Many, many people say "oh I was upstairs and never heard the doorbell." Because if you don't open the door the parcel goes back to the office and we have to do the same thing again the next day. If you have a baby, night shift worker etc. a little note on the door and a nice parcel box at the door and job done.

I deliver to an estate near a hospital and have a number of nightshift workers who have a note and box.

About 22,000 if I am on a walking route.

So is it not worth paying extra for first class?

Generally the photo is of your feet, shouldn't be taking photos of you.
My photos are generally feet, post boxes and happy dogs.
I'm not David Bailey and you don't need to be Twiggy.

It can be a lovely job, walk in the sunshine delivering birthday cards etc.
It becomes stressful when a postie has no control over a situation.
You have ordered something lovely off the internet, it's raining and you are not in.
There's no parcel box, the back gate is locked and neighbours are either not in or won't take the parcel. A transaction that should take seconds has now taken five minutes and I have 100s of parcels in the van.

So am I stressed or am I annoyed?

I think if you are a frequent flyer, just think about arriving at your house with a parcel and consider where you would but it. If the only answer is at the front door for someone else to come along and nick it. maybe you need to rethink.

Parcel theft is increasing. Thieves don't need to break-in if they can just take an item off the door step.

The other stress is managers trying to get you to take more and more. Although recently this has reduced as I think they also see it is a hopeless task.

Under DM26 a postie should deliver first class letters every day and second class letter every other day - so Monday, Wednesday, Friday one week to one duty or one half of a duty and Tuesday and Thursday to the other duty or half a duty.

My question would be if you need something super urgent you will send it by special delivery. if you don't and you have planned ahead put a second class stamp on.

I am old enough to remember when we had to wait 28 days for delivery. Tie has been skewed by Amazon and their next day delivery. Post ahead!

Do you sign for things on behalf of customers? We've had this a few times, though not particularly recently. It hasn't been a problem, but does defeat the purpose of sending things signed for.

Ok - so basically if it’s urgent use special delivery and if it’s not use second class!

I live in a flat on an estate with a few blocks. Each block has a lobby with individual letterboxes & a parcel shelf.

Sometimes our postie leaves letters & parcels for the wrong block on our shelf. Is there a likely reason for this?

My DH worked for the Post Office at Christmas a few years ago.
He hated it because of the appalling racism from other members of staff in the sorting room. He wouldn't go back.
Is it still like that or are things better now?

In my humble opinion - yes

We have a young man in our office who is mixed race Scottish and Brazilian.
Initially many people thought he was Asian and therefore Muslim.
I remember that he started work during Ramadan and a number of people were concerned that he would become dehydrated as he couldn't drink.
One of us spoke to him and expressed concerns and he was able to put any misconceptions straight.

My office is 99% white - there is the mixed race man I have mentioned and one other person of Indian decent. There is banter, but racism, homophobia and sexism I believe is dealt with swiftly by management and by staff. I recently worked with someone who was bad mouthing someone else and suggested he changed his attitude or got the hell out of my van.

I am sorry that your DH experienced such behaviour.

My husband worked with them at lockdown and said they were absolutely crippled by the unions and that is why they will go bust

If you have something that needs signing and you are not in, it goes back to the sorting office. I know that means it should be delivered the next day; from experience I know it could be the next week. So the 'urgent' becomes the non-urgent in the eyes of the Royal Mail so with the exception of court summons - I sign it so you have got it.

We used to be able to sign - person not present - or something like that and during Covid we signed for everything as we didn't want customers handling our PDA - no sniggering at the back - so I shouldn't but I do.

They will go bust because a letter company is trying to be a parcel company and rival companies do not have to deliver letters.