Canteens of old.

Post by **stokes11eg** » 18 Apr 2009, 15:53

I remember when i first started this job. coming back after first delivery, most people sat down together and the food was good. There was always a weekly 'special'(Proper meal) with a pudding.
Today, i was informed by the cook, it's only a breakfast bar now, and all you get is the same fat filled rolls! No real choice, and with everybody flitting in at different times, it feels more like an express departure lounge at some grootty bus
station than the social setting it was. AH, for the old days!!

johnsouthwales · Post by **johnsouthwales** » 24 Apr 2009, 20:35

bacon,sausage,egg roll. bit pricey.. take your own, it's cheaper.. not saying things are cheap but ....

Baz · Post by **Baz** » 28 Apr 2009, 17:36

Whats a canteen

ours has collected dust for the last 2/3 yrs

Post by **stokes11eg** » 29 Apr 2009, 01:59

Baz wrote:Whats a canteen ours has collected dust for the last 2/3 yrs

You'r ightthere--same with the resr room--used to be a hive of activity, what with darts and ping -pong, (what fun!) no more alas.

Post by **BIG AL** » 05 May 2009, 12:43

When I started 28 years ago we had a canteen in Aberdeen which was subsidised and you could get a cheap 3 course meal,if you wanted.
The canteen staff also put on a full Xmas dinner for a few pounds extra.
The place was always full and the banter was excellent.
This seems to have been replaced by delivery offices with little more than a snacks & drinks machine and a microwave oven.
Progress???

shimmyrule · Post by **shimmyrule** » 05 May 2009, 18:16

fit aboot the dert board big al, in the pool table.

mozzas in toon, im on my way.see ya there.

NWpostie · Post by **NWpostie** » 15 Jun 2009, 12:29

The rot set in after SDD, as there is no reason to come back after you have done your delivery.

I remember what it was like before there probably was more banter and choice of food, now its just a souless place, some peopel do come in to eat breakfast before they go out, there is less hot food on sale as it would otherwise be thrown out if not sold.

Post by **General Mannerheim** » 27 Jun 2009, 16:13

In our old office the canteen was upstairs and was mainy used by the old timers, you could get a decent meal there but was on dodgy ground if you sat down on somebody`s chair as they where all `claimed`.
We also had a large room `down the ramp` from the main office which us young guns used instead, as most of us went to the pie shop or Mcdonalds,the manager would sometimes come in and single out a wet behind the ears newbie to go up the two fight of steps to the canteen to fetch one of the oldies as he wanted `a word` with him.......the trick was to get all the newbies to sit on the first table then you`d be safe from the managers gaze.

Now we are in a feckin Matalan warehouse reject type building with a small area for breakfast,which hardly anybody uses.

delpablo · Post by **delpablo** » 08 Jul 2009, 20:45

Our canteen is closing down soon on the early and night shift, not enough people use it. Now run by compass group, Royal Mail (Allan Leighton) paid a fortune to them, to be one of our partners, the money actually paid the staffing costs around the country for 5 years, so you would expect the food, sweets and drinks etc to be cheaper than places outside of the office but actually they are dearer than the little corner shop at the bottom of my road,they are dearer than the post office counter shop along the road from me. Is it any wonder there isn't many people using the canteen. I emailed Allan Leighton when the last price increase came about and in his reply all he was concerned about was how did i know about the money he had paid to compass group as it wasn't for public knowledge. It was in clear view on the compass group website for everyone to see. Our canteen is filthy, your feet are sticking to the floor as you walk along, the food is all dried and shrivelled up where it has sat there for so long, if you look on the compass group website they tell you they only use top chefs and the food is of the highest standards, what a load of rubbish. I thought in the old days the food quality was bad but now i have changed my mind BRING BACK THE CANTEENS OF OLD. Have a look on the compass group website and see for yourselves where your money goes.

Post by **stokes11eg** » 09 Jul 2009, 02:57

sounds like our 'whistle stop' greasy spoon cafe!

*The Lone Postie* · Post by ***The Lone Postie*** » 10 Oct 2009, 20:34

Our canteen used to do the most deliouc indian currys every Thurs to order and whack em in the fridge with our names on for when we finished our deliverys.But management stopped it cos microwaved chicken was seen as a health hazard

Post by **gj1023** » 16 Dec 2009, 20:51

I remember as a telegram boy on Saturdays , the canteen was shut early. So at lunch time someone would take all our orders and ring the local chippie. Then a bit later, one of us telegram boys would get on his bike a ride to said chippie and pick up the order.

Postie558 · Post by **Postie558** » 19 Dec 2009, 20:03

I never use our canteen now for all the above reasons. When I started nearly 20 years ago, there must have been ten or so staff, and I don't think it ever closed, because there was always a shift on duty, this being pre-mail centre, so you'd got the MLO on the first floor and the delivery office on the second. As said, the food was pretty reasonable and cheap. As time went on, the number of staff and choice of food went right down. You could have anything you liked in your cob, as long as it contained cheese!

Over the last year or so, a new cook has taken over and has started doing quality food once again, and will cook things to order if there is something you particularly like. One time, she made some home-made cakes. Her bosses found out and told her she had to stop, even though they were a real hit.

Just about sums up Royal Mail these days.

telegram_sam · Post by **telegram_sam** » 31 Dec 2009, 22:08

We actually got meal vouchers when we were telegram boys, I think you got them up to the age of 17. The canteen 'ladies' used to frown upon us if we did'nt use them to buy a 'proper' meal.

We tended to buy chocolate and cakes etc, Main meals consisted of mainly Lancashire hot pot with red cabbage and beetroot, meat pie with a crust about 4" thick, always chips and mash were on the menu and you got served massive portions. Whenever I went for the 'proper' food they used to load the plate up so much you needed a wicker parcel skip to wheel it back to your table!! Maybe they thought I needed fattening up!! All that cycling miles a day with telegrams used to keep us trim and fit, sadly not the case today!!

icr24350 · Post by **icr24350** » 01 Feb 2010, 13:49

Edinburgh's in 1978-1982 was staffed by predominantly over 50's females who applied their make up with a trowel. But the meals were subsidized and of good quality. When I took EVR 3 years' ago, half the food had dried up on the hot-plate, and were over-priced. No wonder most folk took their own food in

ROYALMAILCHAT

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