Door to Doors.

[Lounge Lizard]

I must take issue with some of the comments in this thread, as whilst previously critical of RM strategy and management I cannot see what all the fuss is about regarding DTD.

Why should we care what the content of DTDs is - the subject matter, unless telling people to hit their postman is none of our business - it is a product that we handle for a fee - menu's from one takeaway delivered to another give them an insight into their competition and forego the need for them to go and stand outside the oppositions premises looking at menu boards. Any item whether appropriate for the premises or not stands a chance of being communicated onwards or picked up by someone who IS interested.

I am not really concerned about whether the receiving customer wants, or is interested in the items I deliver whether it be leaflets, bills, requests for court appearances or whatever - the volume of mail of whatever type is keeping me in a job and anyone who wilfully encourages people to endanger that job by reducing our business deserves to be disciplined accordingly. By all means respond with the correct information if asked but DO NOT encourage people to reduce our credibility as a business - there are enough idiots up top who are doing that already!!!

The fee - we apparently get paid approximately a third of the value of a DTD contract - about 4 times what leaflets in free newspapers earn and probably a lot more than the international brigade with their rucksacks get paid. If you think that is a poor rate then find me any business that gives you a third of what it's product earns as payment for your effort. There is a fair bit of work involved before it reaches a delivery office and that has to be paid for too.

There is little doubt that the format will eventually change, but for now I am happy to earn the extra grand a year from DTDs and because I treat them as a bonus and not an inconvenience I get them properly organised and delivered as early in the week as possible and out of the way before the heavier mail starts.

DTD - it's here - deal with it - get paid for it and stop moaning.

And the Royal Mail might as well extend their link with WH Smith by getting us all to deliver the daily newspaper with the mail to every house too.

[rhino49]

I must take issue with some of the comments in this thread, as whilst previously critical of RM strategy and management I cannot see what all the fuss is about regarding DTD.

Why should we care what the content of DTDs is - the subject matter, unless telling people to hit their postman is none of our business - it is a product that we handle for a fee - menu's from one takeaway delivered to another give them an insight into their competition and forego the need for them to go and stand outside the oppositions premises looking at menu boards. Any item whether appropriate for the premises or not stands a chance of being communicated onwards or picked up by someone who IS interested.

I am not really concerned about whether the receiving customer wants, or is interested in the items I deliver whether it be leaflets, bills, requests for court appearances or whatever - the volume of mail of whatever type is keeping me in a job and anyone who wilfully encourages people to endanger that job by reducing our business deserves to be disciplined accordingly. By all means respond with the correct information if asked but DO NOT encourage people to reduce our credibility as a business - there are enough idiots up top who are doing that already!!!

The fee - we apparently get paid approximately a third of the value of a DTD contract - about 4 times what leaflets in free newspapers earn and probably a lot more than the international brigade with their rucksacks get paid. If you think that is a poor rate then find me any business that gives you a third of what it's product earns as payment for your effort. There is a fair bit of work involved before it reaches a delivery office and that has to be paid for too.

There is little doubt that the format will eventually change, but for now I am happy to earn the extra grand a year from DTDs and because I treat them as a bonus and not an inconvenience I get them properly organised and delivered as early in the week as possible and out of the way before the heavier mail starts.

DTD - it's here - deal with it - get paid for it and stop moaning.

And the Royal Mail might as well extend their link with WH Smith by getting us all to deliver the daily newspaper with the mail to every house too.

Somehow, I don't think that "Angry of Mayfair's" copy of Das Jackboot arriving mid afternoon will endear our money market pondering overlords to us. We can get away with The Beano arriving before the kids get home from school but a morning paper that isn't ?

Anyhow - we now deliver as many magazines by subscription as the newsagents sell (which people like W.H. Smith have lost the revenue for) - if we took all those out of the equation we really would be carrying a lot less weight so why not bung in a few early editions of the evening papers just to keep the levels up

Only joking - which is something I would like to see a bit more of on here

[POSTMAN]

Great post by rhino!

I've always felt that despite being a pain at times that D2D's are our friend.
The more we get the more work we've got.The more of that,the more profit we make.
The more of all the above,then jobs will be safer.

Doing the shite gives US extra money and at the same time with the 20% a day we have to do makes our dutys longer.
Managers are now so scared of the D2D's failing on belated walks,they are getting casuals (The RM ones)to do them.

Whatever happens we WILL do more of them,and yes the chances are we wont get the full rate for them.
But f**k it,bit of extra work,extra money for us AND dutys being played out to the full means we'll be in a job longer.

Bring it on i say!

[doveston]

a little trick the newspapers use,mis-quoting,this could be an article about

flexability

The more we get the more work we've got.The more of that,the more profit we make.
jobs will be safer.


Bring it on i say!

rhino did ask for more humour

[POSTMAN]

a little trick the newspapers use,mis-quoting,this could be an article about

flexability

The more we get the more work we've got.The more of that,the more profit we make.
jobs will be safer.


Bring it on i say!

rhino did ask for more humour

Yeah but we're just a bunch of airy arsed posties talkin bollox

The way i look at it,and possibly others as well,the more shite they give me to deliver(with extra pay an all),the better it is for me and us all around.

[manchesterblue]

If RM used their tiny brains and thought it through properly, they could revert to the old system around when I started. In those days we got 1 or 2 contracts and had a 2 week spell to deliver em. Now, if we did the same today, instead of an average of 3 per week/ 6 per fortnight, it would be possible to increase this to say, 8 contracts per fortnight. It would mean doing 1 eight per day. It would increase our workload, secure jobs and our earnings alround.

[Lounge Lizard]

a little trick the newspapers use,mis-quoting,this could be an article about

flexability

The more we get the more work we've got.The more of that,the more profit we make.
jobs will be safer.


Bring it on i say!

rhino did ask for more humour

Yeah but we're just a bunch of airy arsed posties talkin bollox

The way i look at it,and possibly others as well,the more shite they give me to deliver(with extra pay an all),the better it is for me and us all around.

That's fine if you're the sort who will do anything for money. But door to doors are yet another nail in the coffin of the fine reputation the Royal Mail built up over 350 years. Regularly a cheerful welcome as you walk towards a front door is replaced by abuse when the resident realises that all you have for him is three useless leaflets destined for the bin. Is it really worth that for 5p ?

[johnnyp]

a little trick the newspapers use,mis-quoting,this could be an article about

flexability

The more we get the more work we've got.The more of that,the more profit we make.
jobs will be safer.


Bring it on i say!

rhino did ask for more humour

Yeah but we're just a bunch of airy arsed posties talkin bollox

The way i look at it,and possibly others as well,the more shite they give me to deliver(with extra pay an all),the better it is for me and us all around.

That's fine if you're the sort who will do anything for money. But door to doors are yet another nail in the coffin of the fine reputation the Royal Mail built up over 350 years. Regularly a cheerful welcome as you walk towards a front door is replaced by abuse when the resident realises that all you have for him is three useless leaflets destined for the bin. Is it really worth that for 5p ?

Have to agree with Postman and rhino49 here mate.We need all the work we can get because if we dont deliver it make no mistake there are plenty of other firms who will and are as we speak.Dont live in the past friend its a whole new ball game out there now and we have to show customers and rivals we are the daddy.

[Broxi51]

Perhaps if they increased the pay for them then it would make us more happy. I am sure the price that firms are quoted is bound to have gone up over the last 10 years yet the price per item we receive has stayed the same.

[johnnyp]

Perhaps if they increased the pay for them then it would make us more happy. I am sure the price that firms are quoted is bound to have gone up over the last 10 years yet the price per item we receive has stayed the same.

Agree It is time we were paid a bit more for them,how much more i dont know,but im sure when a new deal is done more contracts will be added to the current max of 3 per week along with a bit more dosh,surely thats only fair.

[rhino49]

Perhaps if they increased the pay for them then it would make us more happy. I am sure the price that firms are quoted is bound to have gone up over the last 10 years yet the price per item we receive has stayed the same.

I doubt that is the case - Messenger group newspapers have lost virtually all their leaflet trade to Guardian Media Group because of undercutting on price - not everything goes up but relies on improved service or quality to keep them viable.
Look at the example of personal computers - a £1000 system purchased 5 years ago would be totally outclassed by one bought for the same amount today or in fact by one costing half as much.

The one thing we can offer with dtd's is reliability of delivery and the fact that as it arrives with the post it is more likely to get at least a glance from the customer before it is recycled. If we start to put our prices up we won't be given the chance to compete on any other aspect.

[rhino49]

Perhaps if they increased the pay for them then it would make us more happy. I am sure the price that firms are quoted is bound to have gone up over the last 10 years yet the price per item we receive has stayed the same.

Agree It is time we were paid a bit more for them,how much more i dont know,but im sure when a new deal is done more contracts will be added to the current max of 3 per week along with a bit more dosh,surely thats only fair.

I like the idea of them arriving already bundled - perhaps like an advertising pack - we could do a special offer system - pay for 4 get one free

[Lounge Lizard]

Perhaps if they increased the pay for them then it would make us more happy. I am sure the price that firms are quoted is bound to have gone up over the last 10 years yet the price per item we receive has stayed the same.

Agree It is time we were paid a bit more for them,how much more i dont know,but im sure when a new deal is done more contracts will be added to the current max of 3 per week along with a bit more dosh,surely thats only fair.

I like the idea of them arriving already bundled - perhaps like an advertising pack - we could do a special offer system - pay for 4 get one free

Instead of bundled each week I would rather have a bundle of 150 leaflets for each house once a year !

[Broxi51]

I heard that the dutch have one envelope with up to 10 leaflets inside plus advertising on the envelope. If RM could do that plus give us 7.5p per item then everyone would be happy. RM would get 11 D2D's delivered per week, the postie would deliver only one envelope per house and get paid more than they do now.

[DGP1]

Apparently RM want to trial bringing them in from China already bundled