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Delivering alcohol

Postal workers discussion forum. Discuss the day to day life in a Blue Shirt.
motherhubbard
Posts: 1001
Joined: 08 Feb 2010, 17:13
Gender: Female
Location: in the cupboard

Delivering alcohol

Post by motherhubbard »

If I get my shopping online from any of the major supermarkets and I buy alcohol (or painkillers even) they stress that an appropriate adult has to be there to receive the order.
Yesterday in the callers office (while I was looking for a carrier bag) I noticed a case of "craft beer" that had been 739'd. (A Tracked item no less)
"Craft beer" was on the packaging and there was quite clearly half a dozen bottles of beer and a couple of cans inside. You could see through the carrying handles.

Do we have any rules and regulations regarding the delivery of alcohol to minors?
Should we?
Given the pressure to get rid of Tracked items, would you attempt delivery to neighbour with such an item? :left:
Never let the hand you hold, hold you down.
daveyeff
Posts: 4699
Joined: 12 Mar 2010, 19:38
Gender: Male

Delivering alcohol

Post by daveyeff »

we get them on a regular basis on our two duties. I must say that every time someone comes to the door i've delivered to its always been an adult. but if it was a young-un I would still deliver it, under the assumption it was for the adult of the house.
IcanthelpthewayIam
Posts: 4067
Joined: 26 May 2009, 13:37
Gender: Male

Delivering alcohol

Post by IcanthelpthewayIam »

motherhubbard wrote:If I get my shopping online from any of the major supermarkets and I buy alcohol (or painkillers even) they stress that an appropriate adult has to be there to receive the order.
This is quite an interesting point, looking at a couple of websites, the answer is quite interesting, its an offence under section 151 of the licensing act for the company selling the alcohol to knowingly deliver the alcohol to someone under 18,
this is why when we deliver it no offence has taken place by us(we didnt sell it or buy it so we are not covered under the act) and why when delivered by the supermarket themselves they must ensure recipient is over 18 (as they did sell the alcohol and its their own employee delivering it then they are covered under the act), so when we deliver it for a company they do not knowingly know its getting delivered to a minor as such they have not broke the act either
motherhubbard wrote: Do we have any rules and regulations regarding the delivery of alcohol to minors?
Should we?
Possibly as there does as appear to be a slight loophole here, however the reason we have no rules and regulations on the like is that we dont deliver to minors, infact we dont deliver to adults either, we deliver to addresses and thats the cruicial point, we are not responsible for the contents of items posted and if that was changed it would probably mean a need for a change to the uso as well and i dont think it is something that would be changed

it also throws up another point, would then under 18s be able to deliver the item, under 18s cant sell you alcohol in a shop they always need to get their manager over to authorise the sale, would that then consequently mean any 16 or 17 year old postie would need to check and remove all similar items and get someone else to deliver them
motherhubbard wrote: Given the pressure to get rid of Tracked items, would you attempt delivery to neighbour with such an item? :left:
[/quote]
The contents of any item should not play a part in deciding whether to deliver to neighbour or not, at the end of the day the customer has chosen the delivery method that they want to use, it is not our job as posties to second guess what a customer wants or does not want so the item should be delivered in line with the delivery spec for the product that the customer has chosen, it may well be expensive alcohol that has been sent and that the customer has chosen to send it as tracked knowing it will be delivered to a neighbour if the recipient isnt in, how would you tell as a postie that the customer did not want you to deliver it to a neighbour?
White Van
PARCELFORCE
Posts: 39
Joined: 05 Apr 2015, 22:34
Gender: Male
Location: PFW

Delivering alcohol

Post by White Van »

I get cases of wine, beer and individual spirits to deliver regularly. Most of the time they have an NSR number and are doorstepped in a safe place with no contact with the recipient at all. I hold a personal liquor licence (nothing to do with RM) and it is slightly concerning knowing that minors can easily access the booze.
IcanthelpthewayIam
Posts: 4067
Joined: 26 May 2009, 13:37
Gender: Male

Delivering alcohol

Post by IcanthelpthewayIam »

White Van wrote:I get cases of wine, beer and individual spirits to deliver regularly. Most of the time they have an NSR number and are doorstepped in a safe place with no contact with the recipient at all. I hold a personal liquor licence (nothing to do with RM) and it is slightly concerning knowing that minors can easily access the booze.
NSR? what's that?

also are the ones you are door stepping being sent by the rm tracked service?
daveyeff
Posts: 4699
Joined: 12 Mar 2010, 19:38
Gender: Male

Delivering alcohol

Post by daveyeff »

no scan required
White Van
PARCELFORCE
Posts: 39
Joined: 05 Apr 2015, 22:34
Gender: Male
Location: PFW

Delivering alcohol

Post by White Van »

zx135 wrote:
White Van wrote:I get cases of wine, beer and individual spirits to deliver regularly. Most of the time they have an NSR number and are doorstepped in a safe place with no contact with the recipient at all. I hold a personal liquor licence (nothing to do with RM) and it is slightly concerning knowing that minors can easily access the booze.
NSR? what's that?

also are the ones you are door stepping being sent by the rm tracked service?
NSR means 'no signature required', you have to enter NSR followed by by the number on the label in the name field and sign it NSR on the signature screen of the PDA. PF is a fully tracked service across the board.
IcanthelpthewayIam
Posts: 4067
Joined: 26 May 2009, 13:37
Gender: Male

Delivering alcohol

Post by IcanthelpthewayIam »

White Van wrote:
zx135 wrote:
White Van wrote:I get cases of wine, beer and individual spirits to deliver regularly. Most of the time they have an NSR number and are doorstepped in a safe place with no contact with the recipient at all. I hold a personal liquor licence (nothing to do with RM) and it is slightly concerning knowing that minors can easily access the booze.
NSR? what's that?

also are the ones you are door stepping being sent by the rm tracked service?
NSR means 'no signature required', you have to enter NSR followed by by the number on the label in the name field and sign it NSR on the signature screen of the PDA. PF is a fully tracked service across the board.

shouldnt be door stepping these ones we can only doorstep rm tracked in line with the specific instructions on the parcel
White Van
PARCELFORCE
Posts: 39
Joined: 05 Apr 2015, 22:34
Gender: Male
Location: PFW

Delivering alcohol

Post by White Van »

zx135 wrote:
White Van wrote:
zx135 wrote:
White Van wrote:I get cases of wine, beer and individual spirits to deliver regularly. Most of the time they have an NSR number and are doorstepped in a safe place with no contact with the recipient at all. I hold a personal liquor licence (nothing to do with RM) and it is slightly concerning knowing that minors can easily access the booze.
NSR? what's that?

also are the ones you are door stepping being sent by the rm tracked service?
NSR means 'no signature required', you have to enter NSR followed by by the number on the label in the name field and sign it NSR on the signature screen of the PDA. PF is a fully tracked service across the board.

shouldnt be door stepping these ones we can only doorstep rm tracked in line with the specific instructions on the parcel
Often there isn't specific instructions and it's left to us to make the judgement about where to leave the item, of course sometimes people leave notes about where to leave it but the guidance is to safe place it and card the letterbox to let the person know where it's been left. I will often take a picture to cover my arse if it's a bit dodgy but the biggest gripe is from people who can't find the package because it hasn't been carded which can result in an ear bending from the dispatch controllers back at the depot :cuppa
Robtor
Posts: 104
Joined: 11 Nov 2010, 11:25
Gender: Male

Delivering alcohol

Post by Robtor »

It is not down to us to know what is inside, we are just delivering a parcel.

Someone could have a My Little Pony box full of hand grenades, or a Smirnoff box full of gummi bears, we are not supposed to investigate the contents.

Completely in my own opinion of course, I don't know the law but I do know we are not allowed to open items that do not belong to us.
IcanthelpthewayIam
Posts: 4067
Joined: 26 May 2009, 13:37
Gender: Male

Delivering alcohol

Post by IcanthelpthewayIam »

White Van wrote:
zx135 wrote:
White Van wrote:
zx135 wrote:
White Van wrote:I get cases of wine, beer and individual spirits to deliver regularly. Most of the time they have an NSR number and are doorstepped in a safe place with no contact with the recipient at all. I hold a personal liquor licence (nothing to do with RM) and it is slightly concerning knowing that minors can easily access the booze.
NSR? what's that?

also are the ones you are door stepping being sent by the rm tracked service?
NSR means 'no signature required', you have to enter NSR followed by by the number on the label in the name field and sign it NSR on the signature screen of the PDA. PF is a fully tracked service across the board.

shouldnt be door stepping these ones we can only doorstep rm tracked in line with the specific instructions on the parcel
Often there isn't specific instructions and it's left to us to make the judgement about where to leave the item, of course sometimes people leave notes about where to leave it but the guidance is to safe place it and card the letterbox to let the person know where it's been left. I will often take a picture to cover my arse if it's a bit dodgy but the biggest gripe is from people who can't find the package because it hasn't been carded which can result in an ear bending from the dispatch controllers back at the depot :cuppa
There is no judgement to made for these items, they are not rm tracked so they should not be door stepped under any circumstances, doesn't matter if notes left or instructions on parcel unless sent using a service which allows them to be left in a safe place you don't do it, and these items are not so all should be either returned to do or a neighbour
White Van
PARCELFORCE
Posts: 39
Joined: 05 Apr 2015, 22:34
Gender: Male
Location: PFW

Delivering alcohol

Post by White Van »

zx135 wrote:
There is no judgement to made for these items, they are not rm tracked so they should not be door stepped under any circumstances, doesn't matter if notes left or instructions on parcel unless sent using a service which allows them to be left in a safe place you don't do it, and these items are not so all should be either returned to do or a neighbour
Image They are RM tracked and we are expected to doorstep them if there are no specific instructions along with the NSR code, they also have to be carded.
It is not down to us to know what is inside, we are just delivering a parcel.

Someone could have a My Little Pony box full of hand grenades, or a Smirnoff box full of gummi bears, we are not supposed to investigate the contents.

Completely in my own opinion of course, I don't know the law but I do know we are not allowed to open items that do not belong to us.
The fact that the boxes are branded and the branding contains the word wine is a bit of a giveaway along with the clinking sound when you're carrying them :chuckle Spirits are listed on the manifest as potentially dangerous/explosive.
IcanthelpthewayIam
Posts: 4067
Joined: 26 May 2009, 13:37
Gender: Male

Delivering alcohol

Post by IcanthelpthewayIam »

White Van wrote:
zx135 wrote:
There is no judgement to made for these items, they are not rm tracked so they should not be door stepped under any circumstances, doesn't matter if notes left or instructions on parcel unless sent using a service which allows them to be left in a safe place you don't do it, and these items are not so all should be either returned to do or a neighbour
Image They are RM tracked and we are expected to doorstep them if there are no specific instructions along with the NSR code, they also have to be carded.
It is not down to us to know what is inside, we are just delivering a parcel.

Someone could have a My Little Pony box full of hand grenades, or a Smirnoff box full of gummi bears, we are not supposed to investigate the contents.

Completely in my own opinion of course, I don't know the law but I do know we are not allowed to open items that do not belong to us.
The fact that the boxes are branded and the branding contains the word wine is a bit of a giveaway along with the clinking sound when you're carrying them :chuckle Spirits are listed on the manifest as potentially dangerous/explosive.
rm tracked is a specific product offered for delivery, it is not parcel force items they are not RM Tracked they are either parcel force 24 or 48 or the like they are a tracked service but the rules don't allow these to be door stepped
White Van
PARCELFORCE
Posts: 39
Joined: 05 Apr 2015, 22:34
Gender: Male
Location: PFW

Delivering alcohol

Post by White Van »

zx135 wrote:
White Van wrote:
zx135 wrote:
There is no judgement to made for these items, they are not rm tracked so they should not be door stepped under any circumstances, doesn't matter if notes left or instructions on parcel unless sent using a service which allows them to be left in a safe place you don't do it, and these items are not so all should be either returned to do or a neighbour
Image They are RM tracked and we are expected to doorstep them if there are no specific instructions along with the NSR code, they also have to be carded.
It is not down to us to know what is inside, we are just delivering a parcel.

Someone could have a My Little Pony box full of hand grenades, or a Smirnoff box full of gummi bears, we are not supposed to investigate the contents.

Completely in my own opinion of course, I don't know the law but I do know we are not allowed to open items that do not belong to us.
The fact that the boxes are branded and the branding contains the word wine is a bit of a giveaway along with the clinking sound when you're carrying them :chuckle Spirits are listed on the manifest as potentially dangerous/explosive.
rm tracked is a specific product offered for delivery, it is not parcel force items they are not RM Tracked they are either parcel force 24 or 48 or the like they are a tracked service but the rules don't allow these to be door stepped
I guess the rules differ between foot and van deliveries. I only know about the PFW regs, sorry for my confusion :oops:
Lounge Lizard
EX ROYAL MAIL
Posts: 9458
Joined: 06 Aug 2007, 21:54

Delivering alcohol

Post by Lounge Lizard »

White Van wrote:
zx135 wrote:
There is no judgement to made for these items, they are not rm tracked so they should not be door stepped under any circumstances, doesn't matter if notes left or instructions on parcel unless sent using a service which allows them to be left in a safe place you don't do it, and these items are not so all should be either returned to do or a neighbour
Image They are RM tracked and we are expected to doorstep them if there are no specific instructions along with the NSR code, they also have to be carded.
It is not down to us to know what is inside, we are just delivering a parcel.

Someone could have a My Little Pony box full of hand grenades, or a Smirnoff box full of gummi bears, we are not supposed to investigate the contents.

Completely in my own opinion of course, I don't know the law but I do know we are not allowed to open items that do not belong to us.
The fact that the boxes are branded and the branding contains the word wine is a bit of a giveaway along with the clinking sound when you're carrying them :chuckle Spirits are listed on the manifest as potentially dangerous/explosive.
We get bottles of spirit from East Europe to the farm workers :nana but we only know it when one breaks :arrrghhh