My first December

[IdentityMatrix]

I've come to the conclusion that working as a postman for Royalmail in December is incredibly hard work! It snowed heavily last week and I couldn't get to work from Wednesday to Friday. Wednesdays and Thursdays being the busiest of days with 2 massive bags of packets accumulating per day, so a total of six of them. I can only carry just a smidge over 2 bags per day. I finally managed to make it into work, late, on Saturday and was truely shocked. My frame was jam packed full of mail and I had 8 bags of mail to deliver! I stoopidly thought that other people would've delivered all this stuff with overtime, but nope :(
Saturday I took out two day's worth of letters, but the manager said "don't take the packets" so I didn't. Monday came and I did the same, taking as much mail as possible, making me have to walk up and down 2 of my roads twice... and as many packets as possible! Today (Tuesday, I took out Monday's mail aswell as todays.. the mail is now upto date, woohoo!) But I took out a little too much of the packets (around 4 full bags) and I had to walk up and down two of my roads, 3 times each lol. I posted my last packet at 4pm.. I started work at 7am! Final off duty time 4:45pm... I come back to the office and notice 4 bags of packets left... Tommorrow is the heaviest day.. so meh, somehow I've gotta get rid of those four bags of packets, plus another 2 which will materialise tommorrow, plus the mail. Thank the universe for overtime!
It's only Tuesday and I'm knackered :(

Four more days to go and I can have a day off :D
I just hope it doesn't snow anymore! Walking in ice doesn't help the whole situation either :(

[Biker Mouse]

I've come to the conclusion that working as a postman for Royalmail in December is incredibly hard work! It snowed heavily last week and I couldn't get to work from Wednesday to Friday. Wednesdays and Thursdays being the busiest of days with 2 massive bags of packets accumulating per day, so a total of six of them. I can only carry just a smidge over 2 bags per day. I finally managed to make it into work, late, on Saturday and was truely shocked. My frame was jam packed full of mail and I had 8 bags of mail to deliver! I stoopidly thought that other people would've delivered all this stuff with overtime, but nope :(
Saturday I took out two day's worth of letters, but the manager said "don't take the packets" so I didn't. Monday came and I did the same, taking as much mail as possible, making me have to walk up and down 2 of my roads twice... and as many packets as possible! Today (Tuesday, I took out Monday's mail aswell as todays.. the mail is now upto date, woohoo!) But I took out a little too much of the packets (around 4 full bags) and I had to walk up and down two of my roads, 3 times each lol. I posted my last packet at 4pm.. I started work at 7am! Final off duty time 4:45pm... I come back to the office and notice 4 bags of packets left... Tommorrow is the heaviest day.. so meh, somehow I've gotta get rid of those four bags of packets, plus another 2 which will materialise tommorrow, plus the mail. Thank the universe for overtime!
It's only Tuesday and I'm knackered :(

Four more days to go and I can have a day off :D
I just hope it doesn't snow anymore! Walking in ice doesn't help the whole situation either :(

Don't bust a gut, it's their problem not yours! Work to your time, don't take any shortcuts and take your break!

[sodiium]

Well done on clearing the mail .....you sound like u're new into the job.

If you want the o/t, go for it, keeping clearing that frame. Just rem what Watchcote said, dont forget to take u're break but if you dont take any break claim the time in o/t as u're entitled to it. Also weigh ur bags to ensure u dont carry more than you're supposed to, even if this means you have to go back to the box a couple of times. And be careful.

[krussel]

It sounds like you have done really well to clear the frame of letters. I was in this situ last year so i do feel for you.

As for the packets they will just get out of hand so you need to empty all packet bags and bundle up as much as you can for each house, (if a customer has 1 it normally ends up 2 or 3 ) then go and find a manager. Show him/her the situation and explain that you cant take them all out so will need the help of a driver.
We did this at our place and ended up with 10 yorks of bundled packets out on the bank which some lucky drivers picked up 6 hours SA per york. They were happy, the managers happy to get rid, and i was happy not to walk up and down the street twice.

[IdentityMatrix]

Getting the letters down, wasn't too bad. Instead of opening a gate, walking down someone's front garden, slipping on ice/dog poo and posting one flimsy letter, it was all the same, but with a massive wodge of letters.. actually made it easier getting the things through some of those tight letter boxes! (And more "rewarding" to boot) ... but the packets.. sheesh, the packets!

At present, I like the OT... I need the money, especially after not getting paid for the three days off where I couldn't get to work. But I can envision me getting to Thursday after, yet another "full on overtime crazy packet delivery session" and the whole concept novelty wearing thin and instead of "Woohoo! I've done loads of work today and getting paid for it what fun this hell hole is!!" ... to ... "Ahh crap, another day, another slog, another delivering as the sun goes down, another getting home, eating, sleeping, going to work" dread.

"Well done on clearing the mail .....you sound like u're new into the job. "
I am new at the job.. been doing it just since sunny June (when it was like half a bag of packets!!! Half a bag!!!!! ( I can't believe that I used to get anoyed when the packets started to total approx 1 whole bag! (Grr! An entire bag!) Ahh, the bliss of having just one bag now!!)
Weigh my bags? When do I have time to do that!!!? The "proper" postmen are uber fast (apart from a few) and I have enough trouble preparing frame/bundling up/putting my stuff into york to prevent them having to wait around as it is... no time to stop what I'm doing and weigh stuff!

I work through my 20 minute break and add that time on.. no way am I not getting paid for the work I do (Sure, I'm slower than you "proper" postment, but at the same time, I'm still working as fast as I can! (I find myself sweating and actually quite tired as I get into the van to go out on deliveries!)

If I get ALL (argh!! ALL!!!) the packets from all the bags, and even if they're small (IE DVD boxes for example), but there are 5-6 of them for a single house... can I give them to the driver? I don't mind taking them, they're easy to fit through box, but they still take up loads of space in my bag. ?

I'm a computer nerd, I've been using the internet for the past 15-18 years... love it... but I never thought I'd hear myself curse the "bloody internet".. all these customers using it to make my work life hell, lol.

Krussel, the packets will get out of hand? Is this because it's the beginning of xmas.. and I'm gonna be getting more than 2 big bags of packets per day? If so, sheesh... I'll do my best, do overtime.. but there's only so much I can do.
(If a customer has 1, it normally ends up 2 or 3" ... I had a house today which had 12 :/ ... In the office, before I arrived on Saturday (the first day I could make it in), there was this bag with a tag, written upon it was "whatever road".. I was running out of time in the office to get "yorked up" so thought, "Meh, I'll just put that bag in the york and deliver whatever packets are in it on a "second run"... didn't realise that most of that bag would be for one house, while I was out there, was thinking to myself "This is a driver job, surely!?" Whoops.. you live and learn... should've found the time to check the bag's contents.

But I digress.... What do you mean by "packets, they will just get out of hand"?
Is this crazy December work load going to get even more insane?

[taurus88]

What?

You sound worried. Don't worry about things. If things get out of hand, who cares? Just remember, it's your job to post stuff within your contractual hours, not to worry about stuff. If you start to worry at any point then throw your worries at a manager - it's their job to worry. You start worrying if they start paying you to worry. And don't concern yourself with being as fast as 'proper postmen'. Proper postmen are w@nkers .

[POSTMAN]

IM,revisit this thread in a few years time,let's see what you add to it then.

[moondustprince]

Sorry to disillusion all the “new” postal delivery staff but.............don`t think when you get to Christmas Eve`s last delivery that’s it for the massive packet delivery situation! Far from it.
Just wait till after the meagre break R.M. give to its hard working staff and your back at work & other folk are off until the New Year , sitting at home board out of their brains ordering again off the internet all the useless crap firms didn’t shift before Christmas, cos it`s in a sale !
Them packet bags will once again be over flowing, Oh what joy. At least we will work off our turkey dinner.

Merry Christmas to all fellow delivery staff

[post_bitch]

this will be the hardest xmas ever

prepare to be santa

[dados]

IM,if you have multiple packets for 1 house,bundle them up & fire them over to the drivers york,he ain't gonna tell you to do it,& he deffo won't like you doing it,but do it anyways,thats what they are there for.
hang in there fella

[krussel]

What do you mean by "packets, they will just get out of hand"?

Sorry i did not mean to panic you

What i mean is that we have just passed the peak online ordering days for xmas and the packets will now increase even more. We are not affected by the snow down south so have no backlog in the office but deliveries will hit at least 2 or more full packet bags by the end of the week. If your still clearing the backlog you WILL need to get help from your drivers to stay on top of them.

I understand that you need the overtime but dont knock yourself out as you still have over 2 weeks of xmas mail to deal with. I still say bundle up the multi packets and get rid, then work on the rest of them, take your time and book overtime as you go

As others have said remember to take a break and have something to eat and drink as its a long road this time of year and you need to pace yourself and thats even without the shite weather conditions. Best of luck mate

[taurus88]

What do you mean by "packets, they will just get out of hand"?

Sorry i did not mean to panic you

If your still clearing the backlog you WILL need to get help from your drivers to stay on top of them.

No you won't, stop scaring the poor sod!

Just tell your lino it's out of hand and you're cutting off. Then it's out of YOUR hands.

Fantastic.

We have a massive backlog at the minute. My walk has 200 packets* that are designated walker packets. I haven't taken ANY because I can't. The job was absolutely fantastic today, just brilliant. It's someone else's job to resolve the logistical conundrums that such a backlog causes. Don't get me wrong, I could solve said logistical problems in about a minute and put into place a sound contingency plan, but thankfully, they don't pay me to put my gargantuan intellect to such dilemmas, which is why I am living in complete bliss at present. You should see our office, posties and managers alike running around and looking like the aliens are coming. Not I, job's brilliant at present. I had a 'customer' come up to me and enquire as to the whereabouts of one of her parcels. I don't think she liked my explanation!

She must think that being a postman is a hobby of mine, that I do it for her fulfillment. Breaking my back is just another hobby of mine, in fact I routinely go out of my way to suffer a debilitating injury. Two packet bags? Can't be done. Three packet bags? Again, can't be done on a three and a half hour delivery. But keep chucking them in anyway, I don't mind.

* - alright, this may be an exaggeration, but four packet bags full to the brim plus a maxed out fitting can't be far off, can it?

[REDLETTER]

What do you mean by "packets, they will just get out of hand"?

Sorry i did not mean to panic you

If your still clearing the backlog you WILL need to get help from your drivers to stay on top of them.

No you won't, stop scaring the poor sod!

Just tell your lino it's out of hand and you're cutting off. Then it's out of YOUR hands.

Fantastic.

We have a massive backlog at the minute. My walk has 200 packets* that are designated walker packets. I haven't taken ANY because I can't. The job was absolutely fantastic today, just brilliant. It's someone else's job to resolve the logistical conundrums that such a backlog causes. Don't get me wrong, I could solve said logistical problems in about a minute and put into place a sound contingency plan, but thankfully, they don't pay me to put my gargantuan intellect to such dilemmas, which is why I am living in complete bliss at present. You should see our office, posties and managers alike running around and looking like the aliens are coming. Not I, job's brilliant at present. I had a 'customer' come up to me and enquire as to the whereabouts of one of her parcels. I don't think she liked my explanation!

She must think that being a postman is a hobby of mine, that I do it for her fulfillment. Breaking my back is just another hobby of mine, in fact I routinely go out of my way to suffer a debilitating injury. Two packet bags? Can't be done. Three packet bags? Again, can't be done on a three and a half hour delivery. But keep chucking them in anyway, I don't mind.

* - alright, this may be an exaggeration, but four packet bags full to the brim plus a maxed out fitting can't be far off, can it?

If only we had to deliver letters............................................... What a wonderful job it would be!

[OnAFlyer]

Same situation in our office - except we're only taking the packets that will fit through doors, the rest are going out on Sunday on OT.

[gazzer]

Its my long weekend and I am going out on Sunday aswell,not for OT though Im out to get blootered lol