Do you scan every item when out on delivery or just tracked?

[P13]

The expiry date printed on the labels could do with some formatting. With the old labels you could quickly glance at the expiry date. You'd sometimes see ones that had expired, the odd one by a good few months

In some DOs the redirections are left to the CSP guy to update. They get an update through the system and have to physically remove the Redirection Card & Labels from the Bundle that's allocated to each duty.

We used to keep that Bundle on the appropriate frame but the CSP Guy would spend ages wandering around trying to find where the necessary Bundle was, especially in larger DOs. Now they're kept in a central location and they only have to go there (IMO a better system).

Most Posties normally give the expiry date a quick check (if they've got the time) when they're doing the Redirections. Problems sometimes occur when DOC or Holiday Cover are on the duty. Admitedly some Duty Holders are not as concentious as others. When we kept them on the Frames I used to like to keep a label when they expired, in readiness for all those Christmas Cards that are sent to the "Old" address. At least I could forward them as none have return addresses! Nowadays I can't do that unless I aim off a bit because the CSP Guy's binned them all!

Quick question. When an item is being redirected to an address covered by the same DO, why are they sending them to the MC only for them to arrive back the next day? Isn't there a central place in the DOs they they could be kept in? I don't know if some DOs expect the mech ones to be sequenced or walk sorted to the new address, as it stands CSS machines will sort them to whatever address is encoded in the orange barcode

If an item is being redirected to another address in the same DO the opg is meant to hand the item to the walk that delivers the new address

[Dorset Plodder]

Quick question. When an item is being redirected to an address covered by the same DO, why are they sending them to the MC only for them to arrive back the next day? Isn't there a central place in the DOs they they could be kept in? I don't know if some DOs expect the mech ones to be sequenced or walk sorted to the new address, as it stands CSS machines will sort them to whatever address is encoded in the orange barcode

I would suggest it's just Bone Idleness SP!

We generally take them to the "New" Frame on our way to collate all the other Redirections and Dead mail. Perhaps that might not be practicable in a really large DO with 150 duties but there's the option of leaving an IPS frame "Open" for all late Missorts, and Redirections, to be placed in. Then the OPGS only have to check one frame prior to tying up.

We used to have some Pidgeon Holes for Nearby DOs that we used (cutting out the MC and sending them there directly via the Mail Truck). However the CSP Guy recently told me don't have the facility to do that anymore, and we've got to Redirect them via the mail centre.
It was a Simple Solution to a Regularly occuring problem that worked well for decades ... so it only made sense that some bean counter should come along and screw it up!

On the Original Barcode point; I always score mine through with a pen, ever since we started receiving genuine "Out of Area Redirections" back to us the next day. I realised the MC was putting them through their machines and it was reading the "Old" barcode. Posties used to assume that Redirections were treated differently by the MC, but they're obviously not.

[tractorboy2]

Yes -I even scan the redirection Letters thought I was the only one

The expiry date printed on the labels could do with some formatting. With the old labels you could quickly glance at the expiry date. You'd sometimes see ones that had expired, the odd one by a good few months

I agree I had one the other day , expired in January , if I notice any expired ones back they go to the DO.

[SpacePhoenix]

We used to have some Pidgeon Holes for Nearby DOs that we used (cutting out the MC and sending them there directly via the Mail Truck). However the CSP Guy recently told me don't have the facility to do that anymore, and we've got to Redirect them via the mail centre.
It was a Simple Solution to a Regularly occuring problem that worked well for decades ... so it only made sense that some bean counter should come along and screw it up!

What about the nearest walks to the border between the two areas exchange any redirections?

On the Original Barcode point; I always score mine through with a pen, ever since we started receiving genuine "Out of Area Redirections" back to us the next day. I realised the MC was putting them through their machines and it was reading the "Old" barcode. Posties used to assume that Redirections were treated differently by the MC, but they're obviously not.

When you're sending them back to the MC are you putting all the letters manual and mech in the same box?

[Dorset Plodder]

We used to have some Pidgeon Holes for Nearby DOs that we used (cutting out the MC and sending them there directly via the Mail Truck). However the CSP Guy recently told me don't have the facility to do that anymore, and we've got to Redirect them via the mail centre.
It was a Simple Solution to a Regularly occuring problem that worked well for decades ... so it only made sense that some bean counter should come along and screw it up!

What about the nearest walks to the border between the two areas exchange any redirections?
No that's the "Old" system we used, that worked very well, now anythings that's not one of our walks (in our DO) gets sent back to the MC.

On the Original Barcode point; I always score mine through with a pen, ever since we started receiving genuine "Out of Area Redirections" back to us the next day. I realised the MC was putting them through their machines and it was reading the "Old" barcode. Posties used to assume that Redirections were treated differently by the MC, but they're obviously not.

When you're sending them back to the MC are you putting all the letters manual and mech in the same box?

No. We Segregate Redirections into the "Local" Area" and "Out of Area" and Deads into "Machinable" (with Return Address on Rear) and "Non Machinable" (with the Return Address on the Front).

[SpacePhoenix]

On the Original Barcode point; I always score mine through with a pen, ever since we started receiving genuine "Out of Area Redirections" back to us the next day. I realised the MC was putting them through their machines and it was reading the "Old" barcode. Posties used to assume that Redirections were treated differently by the MC, but they're obviously not.

I wonder if they're being run on the machines where staff believe that the machines will read them properly all round. iLSMs for sure, and I suspect IMPs as well can read the redirection barcode and will sort to that. For CSSs to do that, they'll need a software update. Which wave of mech are they coming in on? It might be a casual/agency whose been told to send anything with an orange barcode printed on it to the mech

[POSTMAN]

It seems strange that there's a difference between MCs and DOs as to what gets scanned. For inward in MCs it's just SDs and Tracked that get scanned. Don't know if the outward gets scanned.

I thought you guys had finger scanners to scan everything that needed scanning?

[SpacePhoenix]

It seems strange that there's a difference between MCs and DOs as to what gets scanned. For inward in MCs it's just SDs and Tracked that get scanned. Don't know if the outward gets scanned.

I thought you guys had finger scanners to scan everything that needed scanning?

The finger scanners are too slow for the volume of work that goes through. If RM ever wanted us to scan literally anything with a barcode on, then we'd need at least double, maybe even triple the number of PDAs that we currently have

[yellowbelly]

Yes -I even scan the redirection Letters thought I was the only one

Genuine question - why? If it's say a catalogue that originally didn't have a barcode on it so wasn't tracked
to its original destination and the originator didn't need to know it's path or timing through our network why scan it?

[*horcrux*]

Yes -I even scan the redirection Letters thought I was the only one

Genuine question - why? If it's say a catalogue that originally didn't have a barcode on it so wasn't tracked
to its original destination and the originator didn't need to know it's path or timing through our network why scan it?

Could it be so they can track the number of redirected items ? Not sure why this would be needed but it's all I can think of (I scan those redirection barcodes too)

[postslippete]

On the subject of scanning non-tracked packets, why does the PDA not give you the opportunity to leave these items in a safe place?

Because its not classed as a "tracked item" that customers pay more money for?


We are getting more and more tracked items but just because customers pay more for this service should not mean that we should forego other standard parcels.

We need to seriously up our game and get everything out the door (and more importantly) pay staff for doing so.

[Dorset Plodder]

Today the imbalance between "Normal" packets and "Tracked" was ridiculous!

I managed to collect my "Normal" packets in one "Bakers Tray" ..... The "Tracked" had several Yorkes worth.

When does your "Premium Service" become just your "Usual Service"? I realise that's what RM wants ("and so do ALL our customers according to a recent survey") .....but the Business has got to realise that if they want everything tracked, plus the new customers wanting Photo proof on the Doorstep, then it's going to take TIME!

That means you can't keep piling work onto Posties, implement the SWW, increase the size of delivers in TTR and keep asking them to do ever more little jobs, emptying boxes, veh checks, age verification, Bagging Covid Tests etc .... AND still finish at the same time!

By all means I'm happy to do all those extra little jobs, if that's what they want, but lets revisit the deliver spans and adjust them accordingly ... God Forbid maybe actually put some extra duties back into the Delivery Offices and employ some Extra Posties.

[ssdd]

Well said Dorset!

[sorefeet17]

Most of the tracked are on company contracts (Amazon etc) so I would imagine we still make less on those ones than a Joe Bloggs sending a single item to his Nan on a non-tracked service.

[Chelseablue]

Would be interesting a list on all extra stuff weve gotta do at the office and out on delivery now ,Which all adds to our time worked , which r mail ignore eg amount of notice lefts written every day, collections etc .