RM unveils additional delivery plans for Christmas

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 14 Nov 2008, 15:55

http://www.news.royalmailgroup.com/news ... royal_mail

Royal Mail today unveiled a package of Christmas initiatives, including evening and Sunday deliveries, as it prepares to deliver an estimated 140 million items ordered online this Christmas.

With 28 million people across the UK expected to spend £13.16 billion online in the run up to Christmas, Royal Mail has responded with a range of measures to make it easier for people to receive items they have ordered even if they are not at home during the day.

Across most parts of the UK, Royal Mail will undertake extra delivery rounds on the morning of Sunday 21 December and between 6pm and 9pm on Monday 22 and Tuesday 23 December to give customers a second chance to take delivery of parcels we were unable to deliver during the standard deliveries.

The opening hours of all of Royal Mail’s 1,400 delivery offices will also be extended from 15 December, increasing convenience for customers who need to pick up parcels and packets. For the first time, delivery offices will also be open on the afternoon of Sunday 21 December.

Customers can also arrange redeliveries of items to their home address or a neighbour in the normal way via http://www.royalmail.com/redelivery or ask for items to be taken to a Post Office® branch, through a service called Local Collect.

Royal Mail is sending an information card to every address in the UK during November, with the first landing on doormats from Monday 17 November, telling them of the seasonal delivery initiative. Customers will receive more detailed information on the options available to them, including the opening hours of their local delivery office, on customised cards left at their homes if they are not in to receive an item when Royal Mail attempts delivery.

Mark Higson, Royal Mail Managing Director, said: "Royal Mail is prepared for its biggest online Christmas ever and has taken steps to help people get their items as quickly as possible - even if they are not at home when we first try to deliver.

"The majority of items ordered online are delivered first time but we have put in place a package of measures to help people who are not home to receive the item, in cases where it is too big to go through the letterbox or requires a signature."

Royal Mail’s Christmas plans have been endorsed by e-retail body IMRG (Interactive Media in Retail Group), which this week predicted online sales in the final quarter of 20008 would rise 15 per cent on the same period last year to £13.16 billion.

James Roper, Chief Executive of IMRG, said: "The online retail industry has made great strides to give shoppers even greater choice about when and where their items are delivered and Royal Mail’s initiative provides even greater convenience for people at the busiest online shopping time of year.

"Satisfaction with the delivery of goods bought online has risen faster than any other aspect of internet shopping in recent years to become one of its most popular features, and the additional services Royal Mail is putting in place will ensure that this Christmas is a happy and successful one for e-retailers and their customers."

Online retailer Firebox.com already provides its customers with a range of delivery choices, including Royal Mail’s services to deliver items direct to Post Office branches, if the customer knows they will not be at home, or the same day in the London area.

Managing Director, Christian Robinson, said: "Christmas is the most important period in the retail calendar and we are delighted that Royal Mail will improve the online shopping experience for our customers by introducing Sunday and evening deliveries."

ENDS

Please visit http://www.royalmail.com for more information.

For more information contact:
Depali Sanghvi, Blue Rubicon
Depali.sanghvi@bluerubicon.com

Chris Lauwerys
Chris.lauwerys@bluerubicon.com

Last Posting Dates
As always, Royal Mail will be reminding customers to get their parcels posted well before the last posting dates; for Special Delivery, by 23rd December, and for 1st Class, by 20th December and 2nd Class by Thursday 18 December.

Notes to editors:
- Sunday and evening deliveries will take part in areas of the country where there are significant volumes of items that need to be redelivered, for example, highly populated residential areas.
People living in parts of the country where evening or Sunday deliveries will not take place because the number of items that need to be redelivered are low, for example, some rural areas, can still benefit from Royal Mail’s activities to make it easier for them to get their packages. They can collect the items from their Royal Mail delivery office on the afternoon of Sunday 21 December, or during the week, when opening times are extended from 15 December.
- Customers can also request redelivery of their packages to their home, a neighbouring address or a Post Office® branch, through the Local Collect service, online at http://www.royalmail/com/redelivery. More than 10,000 Post Office® branches participate in the Local Collect service

IMRG is also promoting its ISIS (Internet Shopping Is Safe) industry trust scheme designed to make sure consumers are aware of their rights when trading online. Further information is available at http://www.imrg.org/isis

Forming part of the ISIS scheme is IMRG’s IDIS (Internet Delivery Is Safe) Charter, an accreditation scheme for online retailers that meet delivery standards and best practice. Further information is available at http://www.imrg.org/idis

LDV 350 · Post by **LDV 350** » 14 Nov 2008, 16:59

Sunday deliveries will only be done with our goodwill/consent, if we say piss off then they cant have their sunday delivery, unless they offer me double time of course

DGP1 · Post by **DGP1** » 14 Nov 2008, 18:37

No OT for me at all this Christmas, all the goodwill has been flexed out of me

Post by **ldsposti** » 14 Nov 2008, 18:56

its nice to know that rm are letting the public know what we are working so far we have not got a clue in my office as to what is happening why should we work extra days when they are making us work on 27dec oh by the way evening deliveries what about health & safety in the dark rough estates ? i say work your hours they will get nothing from me and more and more in my office are saying the same.

pickaname · Post by **pickaname** » 14 Nov 2008, 20:28

No overtime for me...working my hours - thats all youre getting Adam, me old mate.

Who is going to deliver mail in the evening? Are they drafting back in the Poles that jumped ship back to Warsaw recently?

:cfo

Post by **dvbuk55** » 14 Nov 2008, 21:11

disgruntledpostie1 wrote:No OT for me at all this Christmas, all the goodwill has been flexed out of me

I suspect you are moonlighting as Santa

The red suit, physique, grey hair/beard - it all fits.

DGP1 · Post by **DGP1** » 14 Nov 2008, 21:55

dvbuk55 wrote:
disgruntledpostie1 wrote:No OT for me at all this Christmas, all the goodwill has been flexed out of me
I suspect you are moonlighting as Santa The red suit, physique, grey hair/beard - it all fits.

How can you see me

I'm very scared now

Post by **dvbuk55** » 14 Nov 2008, 23:00

disgruntledpostie1 wrote:
dvbuk55 wrote:
disgruntledpostie1 wrote:No OT for me at all this Christmas, all the goodwill has been flexed out of me
I suspect you are moonlighting as Santa The red suit, physique, grey hair/beard - it all fits.
How can you see me I'm very scared now

Welllllllll - you know that alarm clock that you got last christmas - I'm afraid so.

DGP1 · Post by **DGP1** » 14 Nov 2008, 23:19

dvbuk55 wrote:
disgruntledpostie1 wrote:
dvbuk55 wrote:
disgruntledpostie1 wrote:No OT for me at all this Christmas, all the goodwill has been flexed out of me
I suspect you are moonlighting as Santa The red suit, physique, grey hair/beard - it all fits.
How can you see me I'm very scared now
Welllllllll - you know that alarm clock that you got last christmas - I'm afraid so.

pinstripe · Post by **pinstripe** » 15 Nov 2008, 12:56

disgruntledpostie1 wrote:
dvbuk55 wrote:
disgruntledpostie1 wrote:
dvbuk55 wrote:
disgruntledpostie1 wrote:No OT for me at all this Christmas, all the goodwill has been flexed out of me
I suspect you are moonlighting as Santa The red suit, physique, grey hair/beard - it all fits.
How can you see me I'm very scared now
Welllllllll - you know that alarm clock that you got last christmas - I'm afraid so.

Guys, you made me spill my coffee and I'm not a manager so I have to clear it up myself!
Seriously, I'm actually surprised that RM have a plan for Christmas, they don't usually. Obviously it won't work, most of it depends on us lazy b******* doing overtime.

NWpostie · Post by **NWpostie** » 15 Nov 2008, 13:33

If the money is right i.e. Double time and day in lieu, I will do it if not , nothing doing, I don't come cheap

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 15 Nov 2008, 13:35

pinstripe wrote:Guys, you made me spill my coffee and I'm not a manager so I have to clear it up myself!
Seriously, I'm actually surprised that RM have a plan for Christmas, they don't usually. Obviously it won't work, most of it depends on us lazy b******* doing overtime.

Typical RM, plan something then hope we follow like little lambs. Not me - I used to do OT without pay on busy days especially if I had made some time on quiet days. Now they are forcing us to absorb on the quiet days so as someone put it "the have flexed all the goodwill out of me", Not working 1 minute beyond my contract now even at Christmas (except for a few good customers who go that extra mile for me).

Post by **trythat** » 15 Nov 2008, 16:28

I thought all this evening stuff was just for pkts, our callers office is only going to open till 1730, can't see why it can't stay open as long as someone is in the locker. When I said earlier in the year about opening the callers office after 1400, I was told we need special permission from the government, the bullshit they come up with :(

From what we were told last WTL, the office looks as though it will be running on OT, not sure how they're going to manage when all the grabbers will actually have to work the OT hours, instead of just booking them and getting paid.

phantomshare · Post by **phantomshare** » 15 Nov 2008, 16:41

Been told today the extra hours in the locker will be sataffed by reserves.

depending on what category your office falls into the locker could be open till 17.00 on xmas eve.

Phantom · Post by **Phantom** » 15 Nov 2008, 17:13

I've offered to complete my walk for £40 per hour overtime otherwise they can shove it. You can now negotiate your overtime payments! It's your time not RM!