Spot on.........It's like Wacky Races in our DO!NewPostieUK wrote:Lapsing is when 40- odd vans (and some private cars) leave the DO within 10 mins of each other, all head to the same area of town, often two or more to the same street, and dash around like maniacs delivering to houses they've never been to before, don't know who lives there, don't know where dogs live, don't care about gates, gardens etc, then wheelspin away in different directions. Some walkers have to walk to the start of their walk, which could be miles away, after delivering to 10 - 15 houses, some hang around for lifts. Some vans have driven miles in the oppostite direction to their own duty.
The whole walk gets their post within 15 mins of each other, most never having had post so early before.
Customers find red vans blocking their drives, or can't get parked in their own street, for a 15 min period every morning.
The above is done during summer time (feb to nov) due to there being a 'lull' in work, ie less letters sent than at other times of the year. Some offices do year round, to make up for the drop in letters year on year. Allegedly.
The idea is to usilise all working hours, ie prevent postman from going home an hour early and getting paid for it. Unfortunately, walks aren't equal, so some still finish early, whilst others didn't have time to lapse in the first place.
I have to prep a walk that is sometime "absorbed". On it I do ALL the re-directions, turn for packets, only to have those that do the walk thow small packets into the drivers section on the frame, to be left for the poor sod who has to take it out another day, They stay there until a "Manager" bothers to force someone to take them. Oh and I have to prep them in the frame again.Customers never have any idea when their mail will arrive or by whom it will be delivered. Redirections are missed, mail is often mis-posted, packets will probably arrive later than normal.
If the re-directions etc aren't done, then blame the lazy postie who is prepping the job!
