Is anybody/has anybody been a Post Person?

[LovesToWalk]

I'll be honest, for a long time (I was an avid fan of Postman Pat) I have hankered after the idea of being a post lady. But for various reasons never thought it was a viable option.

However, I am now in a position where I need to change my career and after doom-scrolling job sites for about a year I sat down and listed what was important to me, and kept coming back to being a post lady, and a role has come up locally - so it feels a bit like it might be fate.

However, I am aware I have a rose-tinted view of it being a stress free existence, and Mrs Goggins isn't around, so would really appreciate it if any posties out there would hit me with your pros and cons of the job.

Thank you in advance!

My female friend was a postie for a few years. Very active person and loved walking. She took it on in her 50's. It's a physically demanding job with an early start.

Husband used to be (within recent years), even with a van it involved walking 10-12+ miles a day. No shade, miles from any toilets.

Edit: just noticed your username. Seems like it'd be perfect, then.

The toilets are a very valid point that I hadn't even considered!

I've known postmen and postpone and owned a post office. Never known a post person or or a postie who'd want to be called that. I have a friend who started as a postman at retirement and lived it he did it for ten years said compared to office environment it was amazing, stress free and great exercise.

pahaha I do love to walk, but I don't enjoy wild wees 😂

@SixteenClovesOfGarlic @Beamur were they allowed to listen to music/audiobooks, or would they just be left to their own thoughts?

Who's want to be called what? Sorry, I hope I didn't offend, was not intended.

So nice to hear positive feedback about your friend, I love hearing about people enjoying their jobs.

I live in a big city where there must be a cafe with a toilet on most postal routes. But if it was in a semi rural or suburban area where do posties go to the toilet mid shift? Everyone has doorbell cameras so it's not like you could squat in someone's garden?!

DH retired from being a postie after 38 years!

Loved the job, not so much with all the changes in recent years.

He always had an opportunity to wee on his delivery, shops or cafes or care home type places. But maybe he was lucky,

this is available @LovesToWalk 😉

😂😂😂 I don't even know how I'd use that 😂😂😂

@Tiredandtiredagain What changes took away some of his enjoyment? x

They became a lot more commercial, which in fairness was needed.

They have PDAs that track them, they are a lot more tracked (again needed), but after 38 years it’s a shock.

But you’d not know any different, so it wouldn’t bother you, if that makes sense.

Oh and customers moaning at them that they’d not had post for days… but again that’s the norm now.

I have a female postie who has been doing it for years and loves it. She's probably late 30s / early 40s. My cousin who is 60 has been one for his entire working life. Downsides other than the toilet thing have been staff shortages putting pressure on the rest of them, the mad Christmas rush and plans now to reduce deliveries to specific days. Upsides are afternoons off, fresh air, getting to know people on the round. He's got an excellent pension too but I suspect that may not be the case for new starters.

Re the toilet thing, legally businesses have to let delivery drivers etc use their toilets. Whether they do or not is another matter. DCousin said it was a big problem during lockdowns.

This is also my dream job. It’s just the money that puts me off

Same here. Although for the benefit of not being bored out of my skull sat at desk all day, it might be worth the cut.

I got very excited when I met an actual post woman at an exercise class 😂10 miles a day clearly wasn't enough for her.

Yes that makes total sense, thank you! x

@THEP0PE @NewBinBag I have to be honest, if I got the role I'd be taking a fairly big pay cut, but I'm hoping the lack of comfort vinted/booze/food might level it out?!

How much do postie's get paid out of interest? I think it would be a great job.

My postie was on the phone when she was walking round yesterday, and she seems to listen to podcasts or the radio when she’s in the van so I think it must be ok to do!

The role advertised where I am is £12.54 p/h x

Googled it for you.

Don’t do it. As a former postie / manager I got out a few years ago.

Dependent on the area, the major cons are:

1. working part time hours 5 days over 7 which means that you may get a Tuesday and a Thursday off one week, then the following week you may get a Monday and Wednesday. No rotational day off so you’ll find out week to week.
2. New starts terms and conditions are worse than staff employed before 2022.
3. You will be thrown around different areas to deliver so no stability.
4. You don’t get to potter around the delivery, you have to go at a decent pace and if working with a partner you have to keep up.
5. Training is a joke, usually you shadow someone for two days and are flung out to deliver on your own after that.
6. Delivery offices run on a skeleton staff so annual leave is really hard to get. As a newbie you wouldn’t get summer holidays…. Maybe two weeks at the end of April.
7. Hours can vary, some offices deliver parcels route up to 8pm and as you can imagine they are not popular so the new starts get stuck with them.
8. almost everything operates on seniority, so the guy with 40 years service gets the best delivery route.
9. Union protects full timers over part time staff.
10. Saturdays as a day off are rarer than hen’s teeth.

As someone previously mentioned, I did 15 years before it changed quite dramatically following privatisation and senior leadership cutting everything to the bone.

The people who have been there for years are relatively protected as they have a set route, rotational day off and decent annual leave choice but newbies are treated appallingly.

Thank you so much for this - I think it's really important to have proper balanced views so I really appreciate yours and will very much take it onboard and think about it! x

My DS is temping as one via agard staffing - their temp agency. Might be worth doing a try out? He’s doing 20000 steps a shift but doesn’t have an early start but does have to work each sat. He’s enjoying it

Feeling healthier would be a big bonus too!