First day out on my own

[Grooovey]

Hi all!

So yesterday was my first day out on my walk, on my own. It went... ok... i guess. I started at 8:00am and I didn't get out the door until about 9:30am because I am so slow and putting my mail in the frame and doing my bundles...most of the way around my walk I was constantly in my trolley looking at the bundles wondering which one was for what street etc... it was just very frustrating.

When I had someone with me the previous days for my training we were getting finished for 3pm, I didn't get back to the office until 4:30pm. Its just so frustrating when you're the last one out the door in the morning and back a good hour or so after everyone else

Im wondering, how long did it take you guys on your first day on your own / how long did it take you to get as fast as the other posties? also any advice about bundle's and prep would be awesome if anyone has any... but I guess its just a "The more you do it the better you get" type of thing?

[Numberone63]

Be neat and tidy. Number the bundles. Write the house number on packets so it shows upwards in your pouches. It will get quicker for you. But if you start getting moved around onto other rounds you’ll be back to the beginning again. But the above tips I find make things easier. I’ve nearly done 14 years and still write numbers on bundles etc.

[Grooovey]

Numbering the bundles is a damn good idea! thanks for that tip

Any feedback on time out on the walk? do new starters usually take a few weeks until they're back on time? I know it was my first time out on my own but I just hate being so slow haha

[joreasonable]

For me it was a nightmare, my first day put was difficult, my trainer called me and took some of my route to help as I was so slow, two and a half !months in and I am only now getting out at the same time at my colleagues and getting back at a similar time. Don't worry, take your time and concentrate on your route, not getting out before your colleagues, it takes time to get this, the more you try and rush the more mistakes you ! make.

[Grooovey]

For me it was a nightmare, my first day put was difficult, my trainer called me and took some of my route to help as I was so slow, two and a half !months in and I am only now getting out at the same time at my colleagues and getting back at a similar time. Don't worry, take your time and concentrate on your route, not getting out before your colleagues, it takes time to get this, the more you try and rush the more mistakes you ! make.

Thanks for the reassurance Im a little bit less stressed about going back out again on Tuesday

[joreasonable]

Hang in there, it does get better.

[SMS1969]

It will feel horrendous when you start, I was the same. You see everyone else leaving and you’re just about to tie up. But it’s not a race so never rush it, most of my mistakes early on were made because I was trying to get ahead of myself. One tip, if you have two bundles of letters for a loop, make the first one larger as you won’t be carrying that one in you bag which will then be lighter on your back. Always use a trolley anyway if it’s heavy. Time on the job will automatically make you quicker, as you develop your own routine.

[Asmad]

Take your time sorting and tying up. The better organized you are before heading out, the quicker you will be on delivery.

As you learn your walk then the order you tie up starts to make more sense which helps you when sorting the mail into the frame. Little improvements here and there soon multiply. Ignore the guys who are out the door early. They've been doing it for years. It takes a few months to get comfortable with moat walks, and if you're swapped around regularly, it'll take even longer.

Accuracy is more important than speed at this point. Mis sorts when you're out walking back and forward will slow you down as will ooking for bundles or parcels in your trolly.

[R5001]

Pretty much echoing the others here, but yes, don't worry about it for now. Numbering bundles is very helpful early on, making your first bundle the biggest (reducing bag weight) is a good tip, you'll stop having to really look for where any given street is on a frame once you're somewhat used to it (Knowing smith street is bottom left saves a lot of time compared to looking over the entire frame for it).

On the street, you'll find yourself just remembering where the handle is on gates, which houses have stupid small letterboxes, which houses have the box at the rear etc and shave off a second or two on any given house, which over the day can add up to a good 20 mins, then, people who are never in so you can give a cursory knock and start writing the slip out or going to the safe place etc.

It's pretty much all tiny optimizations which add up to a lot over a day, and it's entirely based on practice. If you're moved around the office a lot, you'll never get quite as good as walk holders on any specific walk, but you'll still end up pretty swift after a while, and across a lot of walks.

[Grooovey]

Appreciate all the advice and tips guys, thank you

Getting those "night before nerves" but I did it Saturday, I can do it again tomorrow

[F33N7]

I wasn’t out on my own until maybe 2/3 months in. It can be very daunting at the start yourself as your used to seeing people organise at a very fast paced.
I am a year in now and only starting sorting mail sequences last few months which is fine, the manual mail is where I struggle especially when I haven’t prepped that frame before so can take me longer to sort and depending on how busy it is as well.
Everything else will come with time and experience.
Like others have said numbering bundles is a good way to start rather than remembering which street is next.
I used to write the loop and first street in notes in my phone at the start but numbering is faster lol.