Royal Mail. Quiet?

[ben4watches]

My post always arrives about 1300 every day give or take 15 minutes, and has done for the 6 years I’ve lived here.

This last week my post has been arriving around 10.00 - 10.30 every day.

Im guessing it must be a quiet time them too.

[hughtrimble]

Interesting, I'm finding the opposite - things taking much longer to arrive (4-7 days longer) than usual.

I expect it too, as lots more people are ordering things online, so they have a lot more to do than usual. Plus staff absences must be (relatively speaking) far higher than before for a multitude of reasons.

Amazon are now delaying all non-essential deliveries for a month or more. Place an order now, and depending on what it is, it'll be here in May. It's not clear what they define as non-essential.

[Griswold]

My post always arrives about 1300 every day give or take 15 minutes, and has done for the 6 years I’ve lived here.

This last week my post has been arriving around 10.00 - 10.30 every day.

Im guessing it must be a quiet time them too.

Ours is the same Ben, way earlier than it has been in years.

[andrewcregan]

Stuff definitely taking longer to arrive.
RMSD is no longer guaranteed by 1300, but next day only. Even then, my last one was 24 hours late.
I have a couple of ebay purchases overdue, but I won’t chase them for a while yet.

Keep safe Posties everywhere

[andrewcregan]

My Postie has just been (1430) and I quizzed him from a distance.
Half the Posties start at 0600, and the other half at 1000, allowing for increased separation in the sorting office.
This explains why some are getting their post much later.
Parcels and packets have doubled around here. This is partly down to Amazon - up here they contract out parcel delivery to locals (white van men!) but now they seem to be self isolating, and the Royal Mail picked up the extra.

The packet that arrived today (3/4) was due on or before the 31/3. Got here safely, and that’s all that matters

[Pitfitter]

Our mail is at 2 hours earlier at the moment but it has been a different postie every day this week, today one banged on the door, when I opened the door he was standing well back asking how I expected mail when the letter box was sealed up, I pointed at the big mail box at the side explaining that came through the door was attacked by dog including fingers, he was ok at that, but I wondered how big does the box need to be for him to see it, maybe his brain’s fuzzied by wearing shorts in the cold and rain!

[smalleyboy1]

Our postie also working shift. He said earlier this week the volume of parcels was like in the build up to Christmas. Few letters, mostly parcels.

[lewie]

Different units are taking different approaches according to staffing levels
We’re managing to deliver 95% of the work every day but I know of other units with much higher sick
The social distancing is causing some issues as shared vans cannot happen
Several of my guys have been good enough to cycle out to meet their shared vans or take the cars ( no mail on board) to the 1st point of delivery
We’re doing what we can

[justin44]

my sister in-law is a postie in Essex, wow if you heard half the stories you wouldn't have much sympathy for your local postman/woman. Where we are they changed the delivery format a while ago, it was changed to two in a van, they park up and do half the round each. obviously they can't send two in a van so you have one doing a round mapped for two, while the other sorts post, of course they don't want over time so if its not all done it goes back to the sorting office for the next day. If they finish their round early they are no longer allowed to knock off and go home, they are expected to pick up others undelivered mail and go out with that (surprisingly they don't do this, if they finish early they park up and listen to the radio). when the van is returned other posties wont get in it unless it is cleaned so again that's not happening. From what I hear most of them are in the sorting office playing table tennis, we have people who have worked for the royal mail 20+ years and are so unionised that they just don't get it, the royal mail will go bust because they can't compete and the old timers will still be banging on about their rights and striking.

One thing I learnt the other day is that there must be a post box 1 mile from any house, my sister in-law drives around collecting from the boxes, companies (that pay) and post offices, she says on her round there are at least 5 post boxes that never have mail as they are in the middle of nowhere and there for half a dozen houses, she sent a photo of one that once opened is full of cobwebs and a mouse nest!

She did say they have lots of Amazon stuff to deliver, on a plus side she says everyone is in to sign for stuff so that saves writing cards out.

[lew07]

You might want to tell Your sister in law to tell Her Workmates That finish early and sit about in their vans about the GPS in their PDAs .It will tell their boss how long they sit about doing jack sh1t and where lol

[Andyg]

Ours (the same for the last 28 years - seriously) is arriving about the same time, but he did mention that his round was easier simply because of the lack of junk mail being sent. Small mercies.

He now wears gloves - little blue rubber jobs.

[lewie]

my sister in-law is a postie in Essex, wow if you heard half the stories you wouldn't have much sympathy for your local postman/woman. Where we are they changed the delivery format a while ago, it was changed to two in a van, they park up and do half the round each. obviously they can't send two in a van so you have one doing a round mapped for two, while the other sorts post, of course they don't want over time so if its not all done it goes back to the sorting office for the next day. If they finish theiround early they are no longer allowed to knock off and go home, they are expected to pick up others undelivered mail and go out with that (surprisingly they don't do this, if they finish early they park up and listen to the radio). when the van is returned other posties wont get in it unless it is cleaned so again that's not happening. From what I hear most of them are in the sorting office playing table tennis, we have people who have worked for the royal mail 20+ years and are so unionised that they just don't get it, the royal mail will go bust because they can't compete and the old timers will still be banging on about their rights and striking.

One thing I learnt the other day is that there must be a post box 1 mile from any house, my sister in-law drives around collecting from the boxes, companies (that pay) and post offices, she says on her round there are at least 5 post boxes that never have mail as they are in the middle of nowhere and there for half a dozen houses, she sent a photo of one that once opened is full of cobwebs and a mouse nest!

She did say they have lots of Amazon stuff to deliver, on a plus side she says everyone is in to sign for stuff so that saves writing cards out.

As I said different areas are taking on different approaches- if my guys are back early and there is mail still to go out back out they go- simple
Not all ‘old timers are like that’ - take it from a 35 year service ‘old timer’
The resistance is driven by the CWU

[oldoakknives]

Our post has been getting earlier. The spaniel, who isn’t socially distancing, doesn’t mind getting his biscuit a bit early!

[midgetda]

I posted a heavy parcel via PF48 yesterday afternoon and it arrived this morning. Perhaps fewer items in the mail means those going into the system are being moved through more quickly than usual as well.

[Alansmithee]

Change in opening times


Royal Mail is changing the opening times of its Customer Services Points in its local delivery offices.


Its largest locations will be open between 07:00-11:00am while all other points will be open between 07:00-09:00am.


All will be closed on Wednesday and Sunday.


Longer retention period for parcels
The Royal Mail is temporarily extending the period of time given to its customers to collect parcels.


You will now have 30 days to collect or have your item redelivered before the items are returned to the sender.


This applies to the following:

• Items left with a 'Something for You' card
• Items that have a 'Surcharge to Pay'
• Items that have a 'Customs Charge to Pay'
• Local Collect items where the parcel is addressed to the Customer Service Point
• Changes to Special Delivery Guaranteed

Special Delivery


Special Delivery Guarantee was by 9am and 1pm services but the following changes have been made:

• For items posted from Tuesday March 31 2020 onwards, the guaranteed delivery for Special Delivery Guaranteed by 9.00am the next working day will change to by 12.00pm the next working day*.
• Our guaranteed delivery for Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1.00pm will change to by 9.00pm the next working day*.

* *existing postcode exceptions apply

[hilly10]

My post always arrives about 1300 every day give or take 15 minutes, and has done for the 6 years I’ve lived here.

This last week my post has been arriving around 10.00 - 10.30 every day.

Im guessing it must be a quiet time them too.

plus 1

[KavKav]

We are lucky, we have a cracking postie, if I am out and something needs a sig then he leaves it hidden away on a shelf in our kitchen porch(we have two front doors) and he knows I won’t shaft him if anything goes pears which it never has. I look after him at Christmas and he is damn well worth it!