While I was pushing the trolley along the pavement I had to give way to an old fella on a mobility scooter and we stopped for a chat (well I had no choice as he stopped in front of me)
.After a joint moan about the wet weather he tells me that his son has worked for Royal Mail for the past ten years with the first five spent as a postie and the last five as a manager and is in an office ten miles from mine. He asked if I knew him but I did not. He then starts to ramble on moaning about how his son is always borrowing money from him to pay his bills yet always manages to find cash to take his family away on holidays abroad each year.
I said something like “oh well money does not go very far these days” and he replies “i guess that’s true as he only gets £2500 a month from Royal Mail”. The old fella then says “I don’t really mind helping him out when his a bit short but iam on a pension and his just received a £1700 bonus but I still doubt I will ever see any of my money back”.
He then asked if I got a bonus as his son had told him that all the posties were getting £400. I replied that we do not get a yearly bonus and anything we have ever got we have to pay for with loss of an allowance or leaflet money. Don’t think this really sunk in to be honest.
It started to rain (again) so we parted but the last thing he said was “well at least my boy seems happier these days as he only ever used to moan about his aching legs and feet when he was a postman”.
He seemed totally genuine and ive no reason to think he was making it up and it does fit in with the 6% of gross salary which we have all heard about and my manager strongly denies.
