''Expanding the role of Postal Workers''

[HTPostman]

None of this makes money for RM....selling stuff will though. We'll probably have to promote our D2D's and other marketing partners to generate sales on the doorstep. Double Glazing, life insurance, broadband etc...every knock-on will be an opportunity. We'll have leader boards back at the office to keep us competitive against ourselves.

I can see it now ‘Here’s your parcel Mrs Smith, just one moment while I take a photo..... and can I interest you in a new conservatory today? We stock a wide range and can even install it while on our rounds. One second, I’ll go get you a catalogue from the van.’

[HTPostman]

So you go to an old dear house to check on her but she's out so you leave a card and have to try the next day

It’s very simple.

If she’s out, you leave a card, you tick box 7 in section 31, stating you’ll call the next day. Unless it’s a Tuesday in which case you tick the box saying you’ll call again at the end of your round. That is all trumped if it’s a Thursday or Friday, in which case we’d write a small report in section 76 (this is variant 3:1 P739 of course) and draw a diagram. That’s if you’re a postman between the ages of 21 and 30. If you’re 31 to 50, you fill in section 9 part A but ONLY if your answer to section 10 (Part E) is No. if it’s Yes, revert to the easy listening P739, sections 3, 4 and 5 need completing, if it’s before midday. If it’s after midday, fill in sections 6, 3 and 1. The new P739 will also include information on all the copyrights we own, a history of the company, the other services we are about to start offering (chiropodist, gardening, mechanical work) and a feedback form.

[norris9]

They have already expanded my round by 30 minutes+....

How do I have time to do anything else!!!!!


If it is to check in on vulnerable people - that could take ages! - could be stuck at some old dears house for ages. Imagine you go in and she dies and then the police think you pushed her over and killed her. Imagine checking up on a heroin addict. Imagine checking up on the mentally ill, we might get knifed to death.

Surely this is not the recommendation. It is madness if it is!! We aren't even trained in health and social care.

[norris9]

If Royal Mail want to make more money, why don't they become a retailer too? Royal Mail, with its infrastructure, could become like Amazon. Now, I doubt this would ever happen as we'd need the money to expand, but at the very least, why doesn't Royal Mail have a service like Moonpig and print and sell birthday / anniversary / xmas etc cards and sell gifts? it cannot be that hard to setup something like this!!!

[ted_e_bear]

So you go to an old dear house to check on her but she's out so you leave a card and have to try the next day

It’s very simple.

If she’s out, you leave a card, you tick box 7 in section 31, stating you’ll call the next day. Unless it’s a Tuesday in which case you tick the box saying you’ll call again at the end of your round. That is all trumped if it’s a Thursday or Friday, in which case we’d write a small report in section 76 (this is variant 3:1 P739 of course) and draw a diagram. That’s if you’re a postman between the ages of 21 and 30. If you’re 31 to 50, you fill in section 9 part A but ONLY if your answer to section 10 (Part E) is No. if it’s Yes, revert to the easy listening P739, sections 3, 4 and 5 need completing, if it’s before midday. If it’s after midday, fill in sections 6, 3 and 1. The new P739 will also include information on all the copyrights we own, a history of the company, the other services we are about to start offering (chiropodist, gardening, mechanical work) and a feedback form.

Sorry mate, you're obviously taking the piss.......it won't be that simple

[Foxel]

You'd need a DBS check, so not all staff would be doing it.

I suppose the others can clean the toilets with Lou.

[Foxel]

If Royal Mail want to make more money, why don't they become a retailer too? Royal Mail, with its infrastructure, could become like Amazon. Now, I doubt this would ever happen as we'd need the money to expand, but at the very least, why doesn't Royal Mail have a service like Moonpig and print and sell birthday / anniversary / xmas etc cards and sell gifts? it cannot be that hard to setup something like this!!!

We should be selling and installing Parcel boxes, make money and make the service run smoother. (Dedicated people though us while we are out on our round.)

[luddite]

I don’t see it as any different to delivering D2Ds. That isn’t mail either, but it is an income stream, that I can perform during my paid hours, and earn money for the company that pays me. It is literally paying my wages, yet people still moan about doing them. I’ll clean the s**t-house toilets if it is in my duty time. I couldn’t care less.

Fair play Lou I normally think you just spread misery around this site but this is comedy gold

[Mr Rush]

None of this makes money for RM....selling stuff will though. We'll probably have to promote our D2D's and other marketing partners to generate sales on the doorstep. Double Glazing, life insurance, broadband etc...every knock-on will be an opportunity. We'll have leader boards back at the office to keep us competitive against ourselves.

Ah, finally an excuse to unleash Pacino's tirade from Glengarry Glen Ross on management.

[postslippete]

If Royal Mail want to make more money, why don't they become a retailer too? Royal Mail, with its infrastructure, could become like Amazon. Now, I doubt this would ever happen as we'd need the money to expand, but at the very least, why doesn't Royal Mail have a service like Moonpig and print and sell birthday / anniversary / xmas etc cards and sell gifts? it cannot be that hard to setup something like this!!!

To do that we need a CEO who is entrepreneurial rather than one who are more concerned with cutting costs as the route to profitability. Added to that is the fact that Royal Mail have continual pushed for days off the USO and that they see delivering mail as a bit of burden to their operation, they probably aren't going to be looking at initiatives that are designed to increase letter traffic. I've looked into the accounts of Moonpig and they have made a group revenue profit of £142 million in the 6 months ended 31 October 2022 - but only a reported profit before tax of £9.1 million?

https://www.moonpig.group/media/2sldc4z ... t-rns.pdf

Nonetheless, considering that RM charge Moonpig for delivery there could be the potential for a nice little income stream for the company, especially when you consider that they also sell eCards as well. Obviously they would need a specialised department that deals with all of this though and not sure how much it would all cost to set-up and run. Don't think that we will be competing with Amazon anytime soon though!

[tramssirhc]

the only expanding happening in this dispute is the waistline of the people spouting nonsense about 'the role of postal workers'. vote no.

[norris9]

If Royal Mail want to make more money, why don't they become a retailer too? Royal Mail, with its infrastructure, could become like Amazon. Now, I doubt this would ever happen as we'd need the money to expand, but at the very least, why doesn't Royal Mail have a service like Moonpig and print and sell birthday / anniversary / xmas etc cards and sell gifts? it cannot be that hard to setup something like this!!!

We should be selling and installing Parcel boxes, make money and make the service run smoother. (Dedicated people though us while we are out on our round.)

That was another idea I mentioned on here a year ago....

Even if we got a small % of people to get a parcel box, or even just marketed to those households that get a lot of parcels that have no safe place, then we could save a lot of time.

On top of this, it would be ideal if there was a rule in place where you have to have a letterbox that is fit for purpose. That can fit an A4 letter through without folding. Anybody with a small letterbox or letterbox at the bottom of their door would have to change their letterbox or get one of those wall mounted letterboxes.

It's blooming ridiculous having to write out dockets for Birthday/Xmas cards because people have still got letterboxes from the 1920's.

[kazardaimenu]

We do need letterbox legislation. All new letterboxes sold need to be waist high and A3 size. Ideal. Or have a suitable box installed. Old mini letterboxes must be phased out and ankle high boxes outlawed. If most houses had a parcel box to deliver directly into then rounds might become achievable.

[Shadedpostie]

Pretty much rolled my eyes when I saw this in their little leaflet of theirs. Saying that we are overworked yet agree to an agreement that will ultimately have you work more hours during the busiest time of the year and this shiet. Not to mention the likelihood of doing afternoon collections/skeddies since can't picture anyone doing them once the new times are in. There's also the increase of parcels with the later hours if it works out as RM suggests it would. Nowhere near enough time to do the job. Least got enough time to look elsewhere if it gets voted in.

[norris9]

Nonetheless, considering that RM charge Moonpig for delivery there could be the potential for a nice little income stream for the company, especially when you consider that they also sell eCards as well. Obviously they would need a specialised department that deals with all of this though and not sure how much it would all cost to set-up and run. Don't think that we will be competing with Amazon anytime soon though!

Royal Mail do have a very modest online shop which does sell some things, but I bet it doesn't do that well in terms of profit. They sell packaging supplies, novelty stamps, postcards. Royal Mail surely could easily expand on this. No idea how we get stamps printed, but maybe these printers can also print other items like cards. Maybe it would be better if they had a different name for the store than it be on the royal mail website. 'Royal Mail' isn't the first thing you'd think of when purchasing a birthday card or gift.