So what was it like being a postman 25 years ago?

[hewittinspain]

I've always wondered what it was like years ago before the internet when letters were up, not so many parcels and two deliveries per day. I could always ask a collegue but then I don't want to wreck their brains with all my questions so i'm hoping some of you can help me get an understanding of what it was like compared to nowadays.

1. Start and finish times (I understand each office varies) but as there was no sequenced mail was there more time spent indoors than outdoors as volumes of mail was clearly higher which means more sorting?. I guess "Job and Knock" was the norm back then, when you finished you could just go home??
2. How long were the rounds? Now we are out for 4-5hrs and walk probably over 10 miles a day, was this much less back then? Was this say a 2-3 hour walk??
3. How did you get to your rounds? I presume you had a driver to drop you off and then he would drop your bags off at bag boxes but then how would that work when you needed to be picked up and go back out on 2nd delivery? Or was it more use of bikes, buses and your own car?
4. When mail was up 25yrs ago, does that mean the call rate was closer to 100% most days or more letters per household? What about packets? Im also guessing you rarely knocked on someones door seeing as there were no 1pm SD's, tracked or recorded back then.Also did you always get one light day such as a Tuesday or was every day equal?
5. Door to doors. Did you still get a few of those per week to deliver back then?
6.Second delivery? How long did this normally take after already doing one walk? Im guessing that rounds were shorter because you had this second delivery and had to walk around the round again?

Thanks for taking the time. I've only been a postman since park and loop came in and paired up.

[Darwinsdad]

A few months ago I read a book titled 'While You Were Out' by Stan DuBonnet (free on Kindle at the time). How true it is I don't know, but it should answer all your above questions, and open your eyes to what's going on around you in your office

[seaside]

6am - 13.24pm mon - fri, sat 6.am - 10.30 am. most at our office would be done before 1pm. SATURDAY EVERYONE WOULD BE DONE BY 10 AM. out on delivery at 7.30, back at office for 9.30, break til 10.am , and then out on 2nd delivery for 11am. average walk would have been 1 hour and half. With senior dutys being 1 hour and worst walks being 2 hours.

[arnold cheshire]

There was specials 12 and recorded 27years ago

[hewittinspain]

A few months ago I read a book titled 'While You Were Out' by Stan DuBonnet (free on Kindle at the time). How true it is I don't know, but it should answer all your above questions, and open your eyes to what's going on around you in your office

Actually just looked into that. i'll see if I can get it.

[redheadedwoman]

I've always wondered what it was like years ago before the internet when letters were up, not so many parcels and two deliveries per day. I could always ask a collegue but then I don't want to wreck their brains with all my questions so i'm hoping some of you can help me get an understanding of what it was like compared to nowadays.

1. Start and finish times (I understand each office varies) but as there was no sequenced mail was there more time spent indoors than outdoors as volumes of mail was clearly higher which means more sorting?. I guess "Job and Knock" was the norm back then, when you finished you could just go home??
When I first joined(31 years ago)it was Mon-Fri 06-00-1330 Sat 0600-11-00 I had a grey delivery sack which would carry my whole walk in.
2. How long were the rounds? Now we are out for 4-5hrs and walk probably over 10 miles a day, was this much less back then? Was this say a 2-3 hour walk??
We had Two deliveries then the senior men had the best walks the junior boys the crap.My walk was about 2 hours for the first delivery and the second had more streets on it but we took out very little mail could finish it in about a hour.
3. How did you get to your rounds? I presume you had a driver to drop you off and then he would drop your bags off at bag boxes but then how would that work when you needed to be picked up and go back out on 2nd delivery? Or was it more use of bikes, buses and your own car?
I walked to my first delivery point(10 mins)and would use my car on the second.
4. When mail was up 25yrs ago, does that mean the call rate was closer to 100% most days or more letters per household? What about packets? I'm also guessing you rarely knocked on someones door seeing as there were no 1pm SD's, tracked or recorded back then.Also did you always get one light day such as a Tuesday or was every day equal?
We as good as went to every door on the first delivery as we sorted pretty much all the available mail and yes we had special deliveries and recordeds then along with a fair few packets.Tuesdays was always a light day.
5. Door to doors. Did you still get a few of those per week to deliver back then?
I think we had them and we got paid to do them as well about 1p per item I think we also had what we called Rebate Mail which was sort of junk mail which most of us just left in our side frame where we would get overtime to clear it.
6.Second delivery? How long did this normally take after already doing one walk? Im guessing that rounds were shorter because you had this second delivery and had to walk around the round again?
About 50 mins at the most even though you had a bigger second delivery everything went out on the first and fingers crossed only a few bags would come in for the second delivery.
We would call our first delivery the GP the second The Irish.
In those days we had posties on thru duties(nights)who would sort most of the work through the night so when we all came in at 06-00 there was only a small amount of IPS to do.
We would clear in about 06-40 and throw of your work set it in(no RM2000 frames in thoes days)do your redirections tie up and out the door no later then 07-30-08-00.
Most customers would still be in so you got rid of most of your work.
The job was great then even though some of the walks were s**t most of us were finished by 12-00 overtime was plenty every one made time and the managemet were sweet.
When I started we had about 55 walks,6 night duties,6 driving duties,3 phgs 3 managers 16 reserves and our own canteen.
I am not at that office anymore but i know there are only 24 walks,no night duties,2 phgs 2 managers not sure about reserves and NO canteen.

Thanks for taking the time. I've only been a postman since park and loop came in and paired up.

[noggin1969]

Can only talk from my experiences at our office
Start time 04.30 F/T 6.00 P/T but longer working week back then 45hrs if I remember right and 6 day week.
On delivery about 6.30/7 ( no knocking on doors before 7am ) empty town boxes on way back to D.O back for 9.30 , meal relief , face up out going mail from boxes , sort 2nd delivery out for 11 , empty the town boxes on way back to D.O , task and finish.
Most of office on bikes , rurals out in vans ( Escorts , Metros , Daf and I think we had an old Armoured Commer van for the REM run.
Most deliveries fitted in one pouch ( but no weight limits , if you could lift it it went on the carrier ) town centre walks had more pouches but just nipped back to the D.O as it was central to town
R/D's and Specials recorded in a little orange book you carried with you.
Mondays were the normal light days
Very few D2D's and you had 2 weeks to get rid of them , Rebate ( mailsort ) had to be gone by the Friday but you only took them if you was going to the call with 1st or 2nd class.
Also a lot more night staff , all of whom smoked. So when the door opened on the dot of 4.25 it was like London smog in there.

[fishtank]

The customers were prettier.

[postmanplod69]

My office Start 0545 finish time was 13.24, think we were on 41.5 hours then.
Special deliveries were called registered letters back in the day.
My office was always a foot delivery no bikes, buses up to the walk and normally just 1 extra pouch which a driver dropped off at a designated point normally a shop or a drop box.
Normally on delivery for 7.30am last letter 9.50am back in office for 10.15 break 1020 till 10.50 then 2nd delivery was normally on walk for 11.15 at very latest and done for 12pm.
Saturdays 0545 start supposed to be 10.50 am finish but used to be done for 9.30 at the very latest, but the downside we did work 6 day weeks back in the day Oh and rebate in my office on the saturday could be left until the monday.

[DiamondSmiles]

For special deliveries we just had a slip of a bit of paper to get the customer to sign and recorded deliveries went into an orange book. If it rained you could kiss goodbye to these things as they disintegrated into mush. It was much easier then however you did only get the Sunday off. Most of the managers were decent back then.

[DiamondSmiles]

The customers were prettier.

True, you got to see some sights getting customers out of bed at 7am

[daveyeff]

The customers were prettier.

True, you got to see some sights getting customers out of bed at 7am

a young lass came to the door breastfeeding the bairn yesterday when I had a parcel for her. she never batted an eyelid.

[hewittinspain]

I've always wondered what it was like years ago before the internet when letters were up, not so many parcels and two deliveries per day. I could always ask a collegue but then I don't want to wreck their brains with all my questions so i'm hoping some of you can help me get an understanding of what it was like compared to nowadays.

1. Start and finish times (I understand each office varies) but as there was no sequenced mail was there more time spent indoors than outdoors as volumes of mail was clearly higher which means more sorting?. I guess "Job and Knock" was the norm back then, when you finished you could just go home??
When I first joined(31 years ago)it was Mon-Fri 06-00-1330 Sat 0600-11-00 I had a grey delivery sack which would carry my whole walk in.
2. How long were the rounds? Now we are out for 4-5hrs and walk probably over 10 miles a day, was this much less back then? Was this say a 2-3 hour walk??
We had Two deliveries then the senior men had the best walks the junior boys the crap.My walk was about 2 hours for the first delivery and the second had more streets on it but we took out very little mail could finish it in about a hour.
3. How did you get to your rounds? I presume you had a driver to drop you off and then he would drop your bags off at bag boxes but then how would that work when you needed to be picked up and go back out on 2nd delivery? Or was it more use of bikes, buses and your own car?
I walked to my first delivery point(10 mins)and would use my car on the second.
4. When mail was up 25yrs ago, does that mean the call rate was closer to 100% most days or more letters per household? What about packets? I'm also guessing you rarely knocked on someones door seeing as there were no 1pm SD's, tracked or recorded back then.Also did you always get one light day such as a Tuesday or was every day equal?
We as good as went to every door on the first delivery as we sorted pretty much all the available mail and yes we had special deliveries and recordeds then along with a fair few packets.Tuesdays was always a light day.
5. Door to doors. Did you still get a few of those per week to deliver back then?
I think we had them and we got paid to do them as well about 1p per item I think we also had what we called Rebate Mail which was sort of junk mail which most of us just left in our side frame where we would get overtime to clear it.
6.Second delivery? How long did this normally take after already doing one walk? Im guessing that rounds were shorter because you had this second delivery and had to walk around the round again?
About 50 mins at the most even though you had a bigger second delivery everything went out on the first and fingers crossed only a few bags would come in for the second delivery.
We would call our first delivery the GP the second The Irish.
In those days we had posties on thru duties(nights)who would sort most of the work through the night so when we all came in at 06-00 there was only a small amount of IPS to do.
We would clear in about 06-40 and throw of your work set it in(no RM2000 frames in thoes days)do your redirections tie up and out the door no later then 07-30-08-00.
Most customers would still be in so you got rid of most of your work.
The job was great then even though some of the walks were s**t most of us were finished by 12-00 overtime was plenty every one made time and the managemet were sweet.
When I started we had about 55 walks,6 night duties,6 driving duties,3 phgs 3 managers 16 reserves and our own canteen.
I am not at that office anymore but i know there are only 24 walks,no night duties,2 phgs 2 managers not sure about reserves and NO canteen.

Thanks for taking the time. I've only been a postman since park and loop came in and paired up.

Thanks for your reply

[Darren Bent]

Do they have floating week off perk ?

[postslippete]

You always got "morning postman"