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

[number one]

Started with Royal Mail 15 years ago on a 25hr a week contract. I used to start at 5am and if I was covered a round a senior man did I could be home some days by 8am!!

[Bernardson]

It wasn't all milk and honey.
We had split duties in our office and a rural on a bike which was spooky during the winter months!
Duties were on a rotation which was better for comradeship as you used to help your mate prep on the heavier delivery.
Frames were 24 or 48 boxes most of the prep was called 'laying in'.
Facing and stamping of collections first class local mail collected on first delivery would be delivered same day on 2nd delivery!

[aiden01]

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.

bet u wish she was breastfeeding herself

[bustedflush]

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.

Be grateful she never offered you a coffee!

[woody38]

Not all roses back then like others have said, but the atmosphere was better & people would help u more, started ar RM in March 1987 start time was 5.00 am, not all delivery's where easy some where even then hard work, some could take over 3 hours at our office, no vans back then only rural deliveries had them, plus people who took your bags, Bike or own transport, for somebody who had never rode a RM bike they where hard going, they had the old style jump brakes if u where going down hill u where scared in case the brakes came apart when u pressed them, also hard to steer with the bags on the top, back then u normally took one out with u & had one dropped of on route, they where heavy as somebody else has said, if u could carry it that's all that mattered, the drivers who used to take your bags where always rushing u to get ready, not easy when your new, if your bags weren't ready on time you had to but one on your bike, the other over your shoulder not matter how heavy it was, there was transport provided to some parts but again if you weren't ready you made your own way out. Not all areas had 2nd deliverys back then that came later, we had more reviews then jobs cut down, new jobs made up but even then they where watching the money, I don't thing I ever remember a time when they weren't. people used to smoke in the delivery office back the, one hand on your cigarette, the other on your letters. It was more easy to get Ft then I started in March 87 was FT within a year. d to d was called household delivery back then & u had 2 weeks to deliver it, some months you had none at all. Mailsort was starting to come in thing it was called rebate but you just took it to the houses u where going to, sometimes it stayed in the fitting for days if u where not going to that house.
I

[CPTNemoUK]

i started RM in March 1987
I

thats when i was born march the 2nd 1987 just turn 30. Sorry if i made you feel old.

[Zicomurphy]

Walk frames were different, no slots just a hole that would say, for example, Acacia Avenue 1-41. Once you were thrown off you would have to pull all the mail out that hole and sort into number order. Either cycle out to your walk or if further away dropped out by van with 2 or 3 others with your bikes and bags thrown in the back or there was no problem using your own car on delivery if you wanted. Cutting off was unheard of. 2nd delivery was normally very light, just a handful of letters most days, I was very rarely home after 11.30. Only time 2 deliveries was a pain was at Christmas when 2nd delivery was much, much heavier than normal. Overtime at Christmas was all set out before the pressure period and you knew exactly how many hours you were getting each day, normally at least 3 hours per day. Bills were a pain, pre Internet and pre competition and pre mobile phones everyone would be with BT, British Gas and the same electric company and each quarter all of them would send a bill to every house.

Used to be 5am start and a 6 day week, which you think would be more tiring, but I always had a sleep for a couple of hours in the afternoon and wake feeling refreshed to do what I want in the evening without feeling tired or having to go to bed too early to wake at 4am the next morning. Much better than now getting home at gone 3pm some days and not feeling like doing anything much cos you're so tired. Wasn't unheard of for me to be back home in bed my 9am on a Saturday after doing a delivery having been out the previous night, couple of hours sleep, out to watch football in the afternoon and then out again to the pub in the evening. Just seemed much easier to have a life outside work then.

[Zicomurphy]

On nights the way the work arrives in the office was completely different. Most of it would arrive in grey drop sacks and had to be cut and tipped into a coffin, packets thrown into a different coffin and Mail trayed up and put on a York and everything had to be weighed. Hard to believe now but we had 19 night duties in my office when I started on nights and day staff coming in on S/A doing midnight to 5am.

[Zicomurphy]

Did not have to stay on a duty for 12 months back then and it seemed that every few months a list of vacant duties would be advertised. Nowadays, outside of a repick, duties hardly ever come up for applying for.

[fishtank]

We tend to look back with rose tinted glasses but I remember bullying managers, not getting paid for overtime, getting moved onto 5 different duties in one day, not getting annual leave, getting thrown out of a van blind onto duties, spending 3 hours prepping duties you didn't know and leaving the office about an hour after everyone else so...same s**t different day as they say.

[tonytucker]

Brilliant,4.20am starts home by 10.15 on a busy day,one bag of packets on a busy day,2 pouches max on busy day,out at 5.50 on Sat finish by 9am ,went to every game home and away all season.downside were shot uniform 6 day weeks,d2d wee optional in our office, never did them but claimed

[Godric]

25 years ago a we used to start at 4.45Am busy day was a bag and a half and a monday, tuesday and a saturday was roughly a half to three quarters of a bag ... used to be out on the street between 6.15 - 6.30am and finish our delivery on the quiet days between 8 and 9am and on a busy day you were very rarely finished after 9.30am .. Monday to friday finishing time was just after 12.30 .... it was a great job in those days .. finished most saturdays around 8am ... never missed a game of fitba home or away ... even up to before single duties came in around 2002/03 we could finish at half 8 on a saturday ... it is a totally different job nowadays ... we more physically demanding now with HCTS instead of bikes ... it is only going to get more demanding

[DiamondSmiles]

I remember 4 off us going out to our deliveries in the back of a transit van being flung around. Imagine that happening today

[saddlerposty]

aye lad and when we got back t' delivery office we had to lick road clean wi our tongue, all for fourpence a week and our mothers and fathers would dance on our graves and we'd do it all again next day.
we were happy though back then though

[citypostie]

We tend to look back with rose tinted glasses but I remember bullying managers, not getting paid for overtime, getting moved onto 5 different duties in one day, not getting annual leave, getting thrown out of a van blind onto duties, spending 3 hours prepping duties you didn't know and leaving the office about an hour after everyone else so...same s**t different day as they say.

Reminded me of when i started, one day i was just finishing prepping my duty and a bloke got back having finished for the day! I nearly sacked it off there and then.