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Picking out first class

Postal workers discussion forum. Discuss the day to day life in a Blue Shirt.
yellowbelly
Posts: 3690
Joined: 23 Jun 2015, 15:51
Gender: Male

Re: Picking out first class

Post by yellowbelly »

Call me old fashioned (and I've been a postie for a lot less time than many on here), but I thought ALL mail was to be delivered on the day it arrived in the office. I was told when I joined that the difference between 1st and 2nd was the time it took to get through the distribution chain..........

How things have changed in my short time........
ted_e_bear
Posts: 4033
Joined: 03 Sep 2012, 19:37
Gender: Male

Re: Picking out first class

Post by ted_e_bear »

yellowbelly wrote:
22 Aug 2025, 14:44
Call me old fashioned (and I've been a postie for a lot less time than many on here), but I thought ALL mail was to be delivered on the day it arrived in the office. I was told when I joined that the difference between 1st and 2nd was the time it took to get through the distribution chain..........

How things have changed in my short time........
I know what you mean and yes that's correct in how the system is supposed to work, I don't know if it's actually supposed to be permitted to leave mail undelivered regardless of being 1st class or whatever.
Mr Rush
Posts: 3226
Joined: 05 Aug 2011, 14:27
Gender: Male

Re: Picking out first class

Post by Mr Rush »

yellowbelly wrote:
22 Aug 2025, 14:44
Call me old fashioned (and I've been a postie for a lot less time than many on here), but I thought ALL mail was to be delivered on the day it arrived in the office. I was told when I joined that the difference between 1st and 2nd was the time it took to get through the distribution chain..........

How things have changed in my short time........
Correct, and 'streaming' was very infrequent back in the day - maybe if things were really bad and you weren't willing to work past your time you'd be instructed to leave the 2nd class (not that it helped when DSA was almost everything).

We used to moan about delivering crap to people's doors and the company line was every bit of mail was important. Now the company tells us people only get shite that they don't want and we complain it's all important.
The machine stops.
abuch1980
Posts: 225
Joined: 13 Dec 2011, 12:30
Gender: Male

Re: Picking out first class

Post by abuch1980 »

Perseus wrote:
21 Aug 2025, 18:26
pieoftheday wrote:
21 Aug 2025, 17:53
funkflex55 wrote:
21 Aug 2025, 17:29
Yes this was also changed ages ago and the office layout was done so it all follows on. Vertical prep, although I know some hate it in my opinion is a good change. Double slots and reduced top space due to wings removal are not so good.
Rm is utterly bonkers, DOs across the land work in completely different ways to others. Picking out 1st class letters, :crazy:
Why is picking out 1st class letters crazy? If a 'walking' duty isn't going out it makes perfect sense to meet the USO by taking 1C letters.

If the postie takes 1st class letters, then they may as well take everything for that house. The system is broke and nobody, nobody knows how to fix it properly and fairly.
Perseus
Posts: 1104
Joined: 21 Feb 2024, 16:45
Gender: Male

Re: Picking out first class

Post by Perseus »

abuch1980 wrote:
24 Aug 2025, 11:26
Perseus wrote:
21 Aug 2025, 18:26
pieoftheday wrote:
21 Aug 2025, 17:53
funkflex55 wrote:
21 Aug 2025, 17:29
Yes this was also changed ages ago and the office layout was done so it all follows on. Vertical prep, although I know some hate it in my opinion is a good change. Double slots and reduced top space due to wings removal are not so good.
Rm is utterly bonkers, DOs across the land work in completely different ways to others. Picking out 1st class letters, :crazy:
Why is picking out 1st class letters crazy? If a 'walking' duty isn't going out it makes perfect sense to meet the USO by taking 1C letters.

If the postie takes 1st class letters, then they may as well take everything for that house. The system is broke and nobody, nobody knows how to fix it properly and fairly.
As long as it is sitting there already sorted ready to go, then yeah, they would want you to take that too - they even created a term for it.
Thommo44
Posts: 276
Joined: 10 Nov 2018, 13:00
Gender: Male

Re: Picking out first class

Post by Thommo44 »

Perseus wrote:
24 Aug 2025, 12:24
abuch1980 wrote:
24 Aug 2025, 11:26
Perseus wrote:
21 Aug 2025, 18:26
pieoftheday wrote:
21 Aug 2025, 17:53
funkflex55 wrote:
21 Aug 2025, 17:29
Yes this was also changed ages ago and the office layout was done so it all follows on. Vertical prep, although I know some hate it in my opinion is a good change. Double slots and reduced top space due to wings removal are not so good.
Rm is utterly bonkers, DOs across the land work in completely different ways to others. Picking out 1st class letters, :crazy:
Why is picking out 1st class letters crazy? If a 'walking' duty isn't going out it makes perfect sense to meet the USO by taking 1C letters.

If the postie takes 1st class letters, then they may as well take everything for that house. The system is broke and nobody, nobody knows how to fix it properly and fairly.
As long as it is sitting there already sorted ready to go, then yeah, they would want you to take that too - they even created a term for it.
Coincidental Mail?
SkiSunday
Posts: 790
Joined: 05 Jan 2025, 18:19
Gender: Male

Re: Picking out first class

Post by SkiSunday »

Thommo44 wrote:
24 Aug 2025, 15:37
Perseus wrote:
24 Aug 2025, 12:24
abuch1980 wrote:
24 Aug 2025, 11:26
Perseus wrote:
21 Aug 2025, 18:26
pieoftheday wrote:
21 Aug 2025, 17:53
funkflex55 wrote:
21 Aug 2025, 17:29
Yes this was also changed ages ago and the office layout was done so it all follows on. Vertical prep, although I know some hate it in my opinion is a good change. Double slots and reduced top space due to wings removal are not so good.
Rm is utterly bonkers, DOs across the land work in completely different ways to others. Picking out 1st class letters, :crazy:
Why is picking out 1st class letters crazy? If a 'walking' duty isn't going out it makes perfect sense to meet the USO by taking 1C letters.

If the postie takes 1st class letters, then they may as well take everything for that house. The system is broke and nobody, nobody knows how to fix it properly and fairly.
As long as it is sitting there already sorted ready to go, then yeah, they would want you to take that too - they even created a term for it.
Coincidental Mail?
Commit to deliver.
Perseus
Posts: 1104
Joined: 21 Feb 2024, 16:45
Gender: Male

Re: Picking out first class

Post by Perseus »

Thommo44 wrote:
24 Aug 2025, 15:37
Perseus wrote:
24 Aug 2025, 12:24
abuch1980 wrote:
24 Aug 2025, 11:26
Perseus wrote:
21 Aug 2025, 18:26
pieoftheday wrote:
21 Aug 2025, 17:53
funkflex55 wrote:
21 Aug 2025, 17:29
Yes this was also changed ages ago and the office layout was done so it all follows on. Vertical prep, although I know some hate it in my opinion is a good change. Double slots and reduced top space due to wings removal are not so good.
Rm is utterly bonkers, DOs across the land work in completely different ways to others. Picking out 1st class letters, :crazy:
Why is picking out 1st class letters crazy? If a 'walking' duty isn't going out it makes perfect sense to meet the USO by taking 1C letters.

If the postie takes 1st class letters, then they may as well take everything for that house. The system is broke and nobody, nobody knows how to fix it properly and fairly.
As long as it is sitting there already sorted ready to go, then yeah, they would want you to take that too - they even created a term for it.
Coincidental Mail?
Thats the one.
yellowbelly
Posts: 3690
Joined: 23 Jun 2015, 15:51
Gender: Male

Re: Picking out first class

Post by yellowbelly »

Perseus wrote:
21 Aug 2025, 18:26

Why is picking out 1st class letters crazy? If a 'walking' duty isn't going out it makes perfect sense to meet the USO by taking 1C letters.
If the rest of the walk isn't going out then the USO isn't being met.

Delivering % 1st class within x days and % 2nd class within x days are OFCOM/RM reliability targets.
funkflex55
Posts: 742
Joined: 04 Sep 2022, 22:58
Gender: Male

Re: Picking out first class

Post by funkflex55 »

yellowbelly wrote:
24 Aug 2025, 17:00
Perseus wrote:
21 Aug 2025, 18:26

Why is picking out 1st class letters crazy? If a 'walking' duty isn't going out it makes perfect sense to meet the USO by taking 1C letters.
If the rest of the walk isn't going out then the USO isn't being met.

Delivering % 1st class within x days and % 2nd class within x days are OFCOM/RM reliability targets.
That's what I thought too. Whatever arrives in the office is due out that day. The cheaper products have probably already been held as long as they can get away with so if they're then delayed further then they are late.

As long as the savings made by deliberately understaffing offices and prioritizing premium products are greater than ofcom fines, things will not change.