Royal Mail Week IV

I’m fucking loving delivering parcels. All the pieces are starting to fall into place now – and critically for the start process when I turn up for work at 8am on Sunday. Today I did my first solo run from my base depot and it was MISSION COMPLETE!!! I had about 35 parcels and got through them all – although I had to take about 6 parcels back because I either couldn’t safely leave them anywhere (not a concept that ever troubles Amazon delivery drivers) or else just couldn’t get access. Got back, wrote my mileage in the logbook, took my parcels back in to the depot, which was by then almost completely deserted, and that was it!! Day complete, knocked off at about 1:30, but because I’m contracted until 6 I’m still paid until then. An easy-going company like that makes you want to do your job PROPERLY. If I cannot see or find a safe place to leave a customer parcel, I just don’t leave it there. Simple. I say “hello” to every single customer who opens the door to me. I drive as flawlessly as I possibly can. All this and more you feel like doing for the company because they don’t treat you like shit. It’s really that simple.

I just need a little bit more practice with setting up the PDA, and what to do on redirects as they get flagged up as you’re scanning the parcels, and I should be set.

I really, REALLY need to secure more hours there. My advantage is that I am employed by Royal Mail, and not agency. Oh I’m sure agency staff are being paid more than me – but they’re first to be dumped if the depot decides there’s not enough work for them to be on that day.

I feel really proud to be working for Royal Mail. The staff are the most straightforward, non-full of shit people you could ever hope to work with. BASIC people. And I say that as a compliment – I apply it to myself too – I’m a simple man. I think I’ve found my calling. I don’t WANT to be sat around worrying about work and what’s going on at work. Oh sure half the people I deliver to have made it – some today were clearly half my age but were doing 7 times as well, and I’m ‘just the postman’. Don’t care!!! I’m HAPPY. And imagine the burden of that big, well paying job anyway. Yes it buys you lots of nice things, your big house and your big car. But what if one day you turn around and the company decides your role is no longer tenable. It has happened. You’ve then got no job, but still that big fancy house to pay for, and your big fancy car to maintain. If you have little, you have little to fret over sustaining. That too is really that simple. I’ll take being simple, thank you very much.