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Big elastic bands

Postal workers discussion forum. Discuss the day to day life in a Blue Shirt.
Selhurst
Posts: 120
Joined: 04 Oct 2020, 12:16
Gender: Male

Big elastic bands

Post by Selhurst »


Can anybody shed any light on why there is a shortage of big elastic bands? This week has been a nightmare with council tax and census forms plus usual mail and door to doors. Bundles have been big, and so small elastic bands not fit for purpose. They are always breaking on tie up
Wigglypark
Posts: 49
Joined: 21 Dec 2017, 08:01
Gender: Male

Re: Big elastic bands

Post by Wigglypark »

Selhurst wrote: ↑
05 Mar 2021, 22:47

Can anybody shed any light on why there is a shortage of big elastic bands? This week has been a nightmare with council tax and census forms plus usual mail and door to doors. Bundles have been big, and so small elastic bands not fit for purpose. They are always breaking on tie up
You could make the bundles smaller :crazy:
pex
Posts: 59
Joined: 27 Nov 2017, 19:02
Gender: Male

Re: Big elastic bands

Post by pex »

There all on the customers driveways and porches from what I see.
Am I on my own in bringing them back for the next day to reuse?
yubin282
Posts: 993
Joined: 25 Jul 2014, 19:18
Gender: Male

Re: Big elastic bands

Post by yubin282 »

Yeah we need to bring back those bigger elastic bands, i don't even bother using them horizontally anymore they just don't stretch enough.

The idiots that insist on putting packets into the frame should be shot with s**t.
SpacePhoenix
MAIL CENTRES/PROCESSING
Posts: 12194
Joined: 12 Nov 2008, 17:03
Gender: Male

Re: Big elastic bands

Post by SpacePhoenix »

AFAIK you can order big boxes of bands (either all small or all large). Maybe RM are only ordering boxes of small bands now, as the larger bands are like gold dust in MCs as well
Tinoblade
Posts: 252
Joined: 13 Jan 2018, 19:51
Gender: Male

Re: Big elastic bands

Post by Tinoblade »

pex wrote: ↑
06 Mar 2021, 15:15
There all on the customers driveways and porches from what I see.
Am I on my own in bringing them back for the next day to reuse?
So many people at our office just launch them on the floor. As I pull ithem from the bundle I just wrap tgem round my wrist till I get back to van and keep em
postpersondorset
MAIL CENTRES/PROCESSING
Posts: 38
Joined: 02 Mar 2016, 17:01
Gender: Male

Re: Big elastic bands

Post by postpersondorset »

[quote=SpacePhoenix post_id=936246 time=1615049663 user_id=7352]
AFAIK you can order big boxes of bands (either all small or all large). Maybe RM are only ordering boxes of small bands now, as the larger bands are like gold dust in MCs as well
[/quote]


its all down to who ever does the ordering for your Mail Centre

No problem ay my local MC
rambo1
EX ROYAL MAIL
Posts: 3266
Joined: 12 Jun 2013, 20:00
Gender: Male

Re: Big elastic bands

Post by rambo1 »

Big ones probably cost more so in royal mail's wisdom (ha) , they probably only order small ones which don't do the job and if you try and make them do the job, they snap ,thus costing more in the long run as the big ones last for ages. Mind you what do we know, we only do the job every day.
SpacePhoenix
MAIL CENTRES/PROCESSING
Posts: 12194
Joined: 12 Nov 2008, 17:03
Gender: Male

Re: Big elastic bands

Post by SpacePhoenix »

DORSET##CENTRE wrote: ↑
06 Mar 2021, 17:51
SpacePhoenix wrote: ↑
06 Mar 2021, 16:54
AFAIK you can order big boxes of bands (either all small or all large). Maybe RM are only ordering boxes of small bands now, as the larger bands are like gold dust in MCs as well

its all down to who ever does the ordering for your Mail Centre

No problem ay my local MC
Probably not being ordered as there's not many needed with the way that mech letters have dropped off over the last couple of years
fly-catchers
EX ROYAL MAIL
Posts: 573
Joined: 05 Oct 2008, 16:38
Gender: Male

Re: Big elastic bands

Post by fly-catchers »

The next time you see a small boy ask him if has any you can have... :Very Happy
Dorset Plodder
Posts: 4351
Joined: 29 Apr 2009, 20:05
Gender: Male

Re: Big elastic bands

Post by Dorset Plodder »

It's because "MAIL's DROPPING OFF" Lads! :nana

That must be "On Average" though because I've still got enough to keep me out for a bit of Pressure OT .... and that's NOT just because of all these parcels! :cuppa
Like all Wage Slaves, he had two crosses to bear: The people he worked for and the people he worked with! (Stephen Vizinczey.)
twoloops
Posts: 2036
Joined: 24 May 2017, 20:52
Gender: Male
Location: Sheffield

Re: Big elastic bands

Post by twoloops »

I have trouble changing gear with the amount on the gear knob :cuppa
SpacePhoenix
MAIL CENTRES/PROCESSING
Posts: 12194
Joined: 12 Nov 2008, 17:03
Gender: Male

Re: Big elastic bands

Post by SpacePhoenix »

Dorset Plodder wrote: ↑
07 Mar 2021, 08:57
It's because "MAIL's DROPPING OFF" Lads! :nana

That must be "On Average" though because I've still got enough to keep me out for a bit of Pressure OT .... and that's NOT just because of all these parcels! :cuppa
Even parcels have dropped off a lot. Take away all the PPE and covid test kits and the same would apply for Tracked
Celgar
Posts: 2795
Joined: 01 Nov 2017, 17:11
Gender: Male

Re: Big elastic bands

Post by Celgar »

SpacePhoenix wrote: ↑
07 Mar 2021, 09:25
Dorset Plodder wrote: ↑
07 Mar 2021, 08:57
It's because "MAIL's DROPPING OFF" Lads! :nana

That must be "On Average" though because I've still got enough to keep me out for a bit of Pressure OT .... and that's NOT just because of all these parcels! :cuppa
Even parcels have dropped off a lot. Take away all the PPE and covid test kits and the same would apply for Tracked
There will always be regional & local variations in the amount of mail & parcels. My walk seems to have fallen into the same pattern week on week now. Since RM swapped the mail volumes over for Mondays & Tuesdays I tend to finish on time on Mondays & have to book extended on Tuesdays. Wednesday through to Saturdays I usually end up booking extended every day. Yesterday I had to book two hours & ten minutes extended including prepping the D2Ds.
* Before someone mentions the D2Ds there isn't time in duty time anymore to prep them so I just do them for delivery on Monday as that is the lightest day now . *

Regarding elastic bands it is better to order the large size as they do not snap and can literally last forever. Makes you wonder why some posties go through a handful of them nearly every day. Best course of action is to take them home & bring them back the next day otherwise they get 'stolen' by other posties in the office!
Offices are allocated a certain quantity of bands in any period of time so if some posties waste them your office will run out.
The views I express here are mine alone and do not represent the views of Royal Mail Group.
SpacePhoenix
MAIL CENTRES/PROCESSING
Posts: 12194
Joined: 12 Nov 2008, 17:03
Gender: Male

Re: Big elastic bands

Post by SpacePhoenix »

Celgar wrote: ↑
07 Mar 2021, 10:49
Regarding elastic bands it is better to order the large size as they do not snap and can literally last forever. Makes you wonder why some posties go through a handful of them nearly every day. Best course of action is to take them home & bring them back the next day otherwise they get 'stolen' by other posties in the office!
Offices are allocated a certain quantity of bands in any period of time so if some posties waste them your office will run out.
If you exclude bulk postings, there's very rarely any need to use large elastic bands. With wave 2, tbqf sometimes it's probably not worth the bother to even walk sort some batches when they get so little mail once bulk postings are taken out the picture