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

[noggin1969]

Also once a quarter when all the utility bills came , poll tax bills and Sun and Mirror bingo cards , asking the manager if you could take your tie off in the summer , PHG bringing round the wage packets on a Friday morning

[redheadedwoman]

Also once a quarter when all the utility bills came , poll tax bills and Sun and Mirror bingo cards , asking the manager if you could take your tie off in the summer , PHG bringing round the wage packets on a Friday morning

Forgot all about that getting paid cash on a Friday morning Think my first wage was £75 which at the time was ok for a youngster thought I was rich the first week I cleared £100
Loved the job then still dont mind It now that I am out of deliveries and in a Mail Centre

[mdm]

Doesn't anybody remember the bloody Sky magazines every month!!

[Godric]

Doesn't anybody remember the bloody Sky magazines every month!!

Sky Mags weren't a issue till the mid 1990s but even then we had a bike to go round our delivery

[woody38]

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.

Yeah sometimes bud especially when somebody reminds me, good luck to you son & hope your still working for Royal Mail in 20 years time, just received my 30 years service award.

[claretandblue]

We were 5 while 1219 mon to fri, 5 while 1020 on a saturday, First delivery was 7 till 930, usually 3 bags, then back to do for MR, second delivery was the equivalent to what you get as missorts now, could be done in your car. D2D's no more than 3 a week, and no more than a couple of packets per bag.

[30+YEARMAN]

We were 5 while 1219 mon to fri, 5 while 1020 on a saturday, First delivery was 7 till 930, usually 3 bags, then back to do for MR, second delivery was the equivalent to what you get as missorts now, could be done in your car. D2D's no more than 3 a week, and no more than a couple of packets per bag.

And they were making a profit !

[zombiepostman]

i started 17 years ago and we used to start at 4-45 went out on delivery at 6-45 came back at 9-30 took our break then the lorry used to come in, we then cut and tipped the mail weighed it sorted 1st class to then deliver, the mailsort and 2nd was sorted for the next day,job done go home same everyday,customers could set their watches by you (now they haven't got a clue when your going to turn up) you could actually plan your day.There is one thing that has always amazed me in this job(maybe not just one)is that every office has a complete different way of working why?

[GT750rider]

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

Same here, plus 4 loose bicycles with the sticking out brake levers, it's a wonder nobody lost an eye !

[woody38]

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.

Recorded Delivery Book

[woody38]

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.

Recorded Delivery Book

[grandypants]

Doesn't anybody remember the bloody Sky magazines every month!!

And you got the cable mags at the same time

[Postie45]

I only go back 15 years but even then a very different job

mon- sat
5.00 start, everyone on sorting, prep approx 225-275 delivery points depending on duty, average about 2/3 full of the grey mail sacks for packets, sometimes as little as a quarter of a sack on a light day. But more letters of course, probably 85%+ attendance rate, and more letters per house. The dreaded monthly sky magazines always bulked up the delivery, but less d2d.
Out for approx 7.15 (saturdays / easy day 7.00), back for 9.45 (9.00 ish sat and also end of shift) Out on bike if close to office or onto van with a couple of others if a bit further out. Any packages that were too big to go in a bag (anything close to the size of a shoebox and above) were given to the driver who also brought your extra bags.
Back to office and 30 min break or sort up the 2nd delivery mail if you were in a hurry to get done. Out the door by 10.15 latest for 2nd delivery which consisted of about 15 letters (seriously) on average which supposedly took you to scheduled finish time of 12.30, but you can imagine how long it would take to deliver those - and thats the posties that actually bothered to deliver them. :no no The reason why every so often the managers would wait at the door in the morning to check pouches when posties came in.
Overtime was 8 hours per duty, most people did 1/4 of a delivery for 2hours pay which took them approx 30-40 mins including time to get out to wherever it was.
Days were easier but then it was spread over 6 days so it had to be.
Also the old prepping frames were too small to fit A4 sized mail in so you had to "curl" them into the frame :left:

[Lance Jack]

We worked a six day, 43 hour, week when I started twenty nine years ago. We started at 5am and threw the mail of the night workers had done, there was no walk sorted or mech. bundles then. We then all went on the sorting until it was done and then cleared down and continued to throw the walk of into our 48 box frames. I used to get it all bagged up and have a ten minute grace break in the canteen, out the door by 7am on our bikes. Finish out the one bag of mail we had and back by 9.30am, any later and you wouldn't have a seat in the canteen, even worse you would be left with a seat with the freaks & geeks table. Back down stairs for 10.30 for the 2nd delivery, which would be a handful of letters and indoors for 11.30, at the very latest.

[blue1873]

The customers were prettier.

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

Yeah "she came to the door with nothing on but the wireless" Happy days