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Delivering parcels v Delivering Post

Postal workers discussion forum. Discuss the day to day life in a Blue Shirt.
Dazdec197296
Posts: 16
Joined: 04 Aug 2019, 19:21
Gender: Male

Delivering parcels v Delivering Post

Post by Dazdec197296 »

norris9 wrote:This may be a stupid question....

Is going around with a van of parcels less or more physical than going around delivering a Postie's round?

I would have thought it would be a lot less physical driving around delivering parcels, but have never continuously done parcel deliveries over weeks or months....

Can anyone with experience of both doing a postie round as well as just delivering parcels chime in with their experiences....

After a month of doing parcel deliveries do you feel less exhausted than you would have felt doing a Postie round each day?

I would guess parcel delivery is less physical, but maybe jumping in and out the van takes its toll?
I used to work for Parcelforce and at the time thought that to be a physical job but working for Royal Mail is much harder physically.
abuch1980
Posts: 226
Joined: 13 Dec 2011, 12:30
Gender: Male

Delivering parcels v Delivering Post

Post by abuch1980 »

poisonpostie wrote:
abuch1980 wrote:Delivering parcels is slightly easier but you get no tips despite actually delivering something the customer actually ordered, instead the HTC user will get the tips for delivering all their bills!!
Thing with HTC is there is no pressure to finish on time usually with drivers there is something else to do after parcels like the collection which must be started on time or the collection risks failure. Which you will be responsible for.
Wow you really don't get what tips are about ,my customers tip me and wont give tips to my cover (which i give a far share to)as i see them week in week out rain or shine .they really don't care about someone who turns up now and then and throws a parcel on their doorstep, I have done both jobs at xmas and much prefer my own hct round
Someone who turns up now and then.. I wish , I am at their door as much as the HTC duty holder every day they have a parcel. Fairness doesn't come into anything at RM we all know this.
HTPostman
EX ROYAL MAIL
Posts: 1507
Joined: 01 Sep 2008, 23:53
Gender: Male

Delivering parcels v Delivering Post

Post by HTPostman »

abuch1980 wrote:Walks do that all year round.. band 5 or 6 parcels together to make a big parcel for the driver, then they have to unband it and scan it all at the doorstep!!
On a related note why when there’s 2 parcels do people always band them together but with only one address/barcode facing out? Makes no sense at all as you have to untangle the band(s) to get to the other barcode. Just band the damn things so both addresses/barcodes are facing outwards.
The day is gonna come when we’re all gonna have to testify.

526
blacov
Posts: 397
Joined: 12 May 2019, 21:40
Gender: Male

Delivering parcels v Delivering Post

Post by blacov »

Doing packets if you are well organised and know your way around is not too bad. Of course it tire you physically to some extent as you have to get in and out of the van constantly. You need to pick heavy parcels from the corner of the van, at times need to reshuffle your load as you work your way up. Sometimes delivery to a big building can be demanding as parking nearby may not be possible so you end up carrying a large item or often multiple items for quite some distance. Lastly as mentioned previously some places are a bit awkward to deliver to. It takes good planning otherwise you might struggle to drive out. It is not that bad in relatively small RM vans but during my time delivering in a LWB mercedes sprinter you really needed to plan how to approach an address and have an escape route ready.
cpsteve
Posts: 699
Joined: 20 Apr 2016, 15:46
Gender: Male

Delivering parcels v Delivering Post

Post by cpsteve »

Doing packets is easier then walking doing a firms drive and packets is stress and more stress ive done both and i will stay walking, i found that the constant in and out of the big vans was doing my back in, pushing the htc made my legs ache more so shared van is what suits me.
Route1
Posts: 369
Joined: 05 Jun 2015, 00:48
Gender: Female

Delivering parcels v Delivering Post

Post by Route1 »

Doing constant parcels is mind numbingly boring. I prefer to mix it up by staying on my shared-van duty & do parcels later if needed. I like the walking aspect of the job.

A guy on an easy duty came off his postie duty to do parcels.

Other have thought they were onto a winner when asked to do parcels at xmas. After a fortnight they were saying its boring.

Parcels is less knackering on the body. I find the Partner vans are best suited for me constantly getting in & out of the van. If they tried to give me a Combo i'd tell them where to sit it...too low. Transit has more space but i dont like the constant in& out of van either....too high

Each to their own.
rollsnoyce
Posts: 15
Joined: 02 Feb 2016, 22:36
Gender: Male

Delivering parcels v Delivering Post

Post by rollsnoyce »

Do parcels and a postie round in our office.
postslippete
Posts: 4198
Joined: 14 Jul 2014, 16:27
Gender: Male

Delivering parcels v Delivering Post

Post by postslippete »

A lot of guys believe that parcel deliveries is a lot less physical than walking round delivering the post. And it is. It just tends to be a bit more stressful at Xmas when the manager wants all the packets cleared.
On the face of it, shareholder value is the dumbest idea in the world.
xPandabear1992x
Posts: 286
Joined: 29 Jul 2019, 00:49
Gender: Male

Delivering parcels v Delivering Post

Post by xPandabear1992x »

depends. People at my office get heavies and oversized taken off them no sweat. Then some little darlings grizzle that they can't take flats and tiny packets either. In which case you're pretty much doing a loop anyway.
SpacePhoenix
MAIL CENTRES/PROCESSING
Posts: 12195
Joined: 12 Nov 2008, 17:03
Gender: Male

Delivering parcels v Delivering Post

Post by SpacePhoenix »

xPandabear1992x wrote:depends. People at my office get heavies and oversized taken off them no sweat. Then some little darlings grizzle that they can't take flats and tiny packets either. In which case you're pretty much doing a loop anyway.
Will DOs actually have the vans available to have dedicated packet runs this year?
blacov
Posts: 397
Joined: 12 May 2019, 21:40
Gender: Male

Delivering parcels v Delivering Post

Post by blacov »

SpacePhoenix wrote:
xPandabear1992x wrote:depends. People at my office get heavies and oversized taken off them no sweat. Then some little darlings grizzle that they can't take flats and tiny packets either. In which case you're pretty much doing a loop anyway.
Will DOs actually have the vans available to have dedicated packet runs this year?

I guess we will find out very soon. No extra vans at my DO as of yet.
citypostie
Posts: 895
Joined: 08 Apr 2009, 19:42
Gender: Male

Delivering parcels v Delivering Post

Post by citypostie »

SpacePhoenix wrote:
xPandabear1992x wrote:depends. People at my office get heavies and oversized taken off them no sweat. Then some little darlings grizzle that they can't take flats and tiny packets either. In which case you're pretty much doing a loop anyway.
Will DOs actually have the vans available to have dedicated packet runs this year?
We are a smallish office and have just had 8 hire vans delivered.