UK Royal Mail delivery changes

Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:

No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
Times and dates in your local timezone.
Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.

If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

**OrlandotheTechnicoloured**

https://www.royalmail.com/d8/coronavirus-changes-service

We understand the importance of the postal service in keeping the UK connected at this time. We have also listened to our hard-working colleagues who have asked us to ease the additional burden on them if possible. As a result, we are making some temporary changes to postal services.

From 2 May we will temporarily no longer deliver letters on a Saturday. We will continue to provide a letter delivery service from Monday to Friday as normal. The majority of parcel services will be delivered on a Saturday including 1st and 2nd Class Parcels, Royal Mail Tracked 24 and 48, Royal Mail Tracked Returns, Special Delivery Guaranteed and International tracked services.

Customers should continue to post both letters and parcels as usual on Saturday. We will continue our Saturday collections from businesses, post offices and post boxes as normal.

Edit: So no letters on Saturday, parcels carry on being delivered Mon-Sat as they are now (I initially misread this as parcels only coming on Saturday but Aeneades has put me right so not the major change for UK shoppers that I initially thought

**Overread**

I fully expected some delays - heck I've got a parcel sitting somewhere in the system with parcel force from overseas - fairly sure its just locked up in the backlog of the system.

Lets not forget it wasn't that long ago that parcels took 2 weeks minimum to arrive for many places. So having a little delay now isn't that bad.

Delays will happen, heck they are already happening. Postal services are getting Christmas level volume with cut staff and systems that won't let them use a full compliment of staff in many environments.

**Aeneades**

I think you have misunderstood the message. Parcels are still coming Monday to Friday and the majority of parcel postage options will still deliver on Saturdays. Letters are coming Monday to Friday but not Saturdays. The statement could be more clearly worded but the Saturday section was just detailing what is delivered on Saturdays, not removing parcels from the rest of the week.

**OrlandotheTechnicoloured**

I'd be delighted to be wrong, but I first became aware of it when my facebook based kit supplier posted a warning as the RM person doing his collections warned him that deliveries were going to Sat only

now I guess he could be reading it wrong too (it wouldn't be the first time management don't tell the workers what's happening clearly) but I fear not

**Overread**

I can see logic in parcels being saved up and delivered on a weekend. Even with the lockdown many are still working in some industries. So if they save up the parcels for the Saturday they can maximise the number of people home; which means less coming back into the system from failed deliveries.

**Grimtuff**

Overread wrote:
I can see logic in parcels being saved up and delivered on a weekend. Even with the lockdown many are still working in some industries. So if they save up the parcels for the Saturday they can maximise the number of people home; which means less coming back into the system from failed deliveries.

I think you'll find the vast majority of keyworkers more than likely work Saturdays.

**tneva82**

Overread wrote:
I can see logic in parcels being saved up and delivered on a weekend. Even with the lockdown many are still working in some industries. So if they save up the parcels for the Saturday they can maximise the number of people home; which means less coming back into the system from failed deliveries.

Still whole attempt, fail, reschedule thing in use in uk delivery?

**ValentineGames**

The MAJORITY of parcels delivered Saturday.

**Aeneades**

OrlandotheTechnicoloured wrote:
I'd be delighted to be wrong, but I first became aware of it when my facebook based kit supplier posted a warning as the RM person doing his collections warned him that deliveries were going to Sat only

now I guess he could be reading it wrong too (it wouldn't be the first time management don't tell the workers what's happening clearly) but I fear not

I asked my cousin who is a postman and he confirmed to me that parcels are still coming 6 days a week (they couldn’t sell the faster delivery options otherwise and they make money). He could have been wrong though.

All the press articles only mention stopping letters on Saturday and don’t mention parcels at all which I think they would have if they were stopping Monday - Friday delivery.

**OrlandotheTechnicoloured**

In that case i'll belive you since you've got a more direct link to somebody who should be in the know, especially if he's checked and edit the original post, thanks

**Pahil**

As a working postman, I would love to clear this up for you, but we haven't been told anything, by any management.

I can tell you that is absolutely rammed for parcels at the moment, even worse then Christmas, but with less staff.

Most parcels though are (in my office at least) only delayed by at most 1 day, and the great majority will go out as normal on the day they arrive in the office.

**Duskweaver**

Pahil wrote:
but we haven't been told anything, by any management.

Situation normal then, eh?

On a more serious note, thank-you for your service. I know postal workers are some of the most over-worked and under-appreciated people in the country. At least Our Present Difficulties might hopefully lead to a change in that second bit...

**OrlandotheTechnicoloured**

Pahil wrote:
As a working postman, I would love to clear this up for you, but we haven't been told anything, by any management.

I can tell you that is absolutely rammed for parcels at the moment, even worse then Christmas, but with less staff.

Most parcels though are (in my office at least) only delayed by at most 1 day, and the great majority will go out as normal on the day they arrive in the office.

Thank you for the valuable job you're doing

**NordsPaintingSaga**

I ordered something online yesterday, it arrived today, probably better than pre-lockdown.

**Yodhrin**

Just as an aside, is this not a bit useless if the stated goal is to ease the burden on postal workers? Not that I actually expect competence or consistency from the management of royal mail of course, but my understanding is that in general when the posties complain about being overworked, it's because they have to hump around loads of parcels, not letters. So keeping parcel deliveries and reducing letters by a single day doesn't really help much.

**alphaecho**

Pahil wrote:
As a working postman, I would love to clear this up for you, but we haven't been told anything, by any management.

I can tell you that is absolutely rammed for parcels at the moment, even worse then Christmas, but with less staff.

Most parcels though are (in my office at least) only delayed by at most 1 day, and the great majority will go out as normal on the day they arrive in the office.

A big thank you to you and your fellow workers.

I've had some morale delivered recently and it is appreciated.

**Azazelx**

Yodhrin wrote:
Just as an aside, is this not a bit useless if the stated goal is to ease the burden on postal workers? Not that I actually expect competence or consistency from the management of royal mail of course, but my understanding is that in general when the posties complain about being overworked, it's because they have to hump around loads of parcels, not letters. So keeping parcel deliveries and reducing letters by a single day doesn't really help much.

Do they not use vans for that in the UK? We have light motorcycles and scooters for our letter carriers here, with their items in saddlebags - while parcels go via delivery vans.

**queen_annes_revenge**

yeah they use vans. I cant speak much for what deliveries have changed as I've pretty much stopped ordering stuff just as this news came out. I'd ordered a bunch of oldhammer from ebay and decided I didnt need any more models for the foreseeable.

ordered a couple of items but theyve been from amazon mainly.

**beast_gts**

Azazelx wrote:
Yodhrin wrote:
Just as an aside, is this not a bit useless if the stated goal is to ease the burden on postal workers? Not that I actually expect competence or consistency from the management of royal mail of course, but my understanding is that in general when the posties complain about being overworked, it's because they have to hump around loads of parcels, not letters. So keeping parcel deliveries and reducing letters by a single day doesn't really help much.

Do they not use vans for that in the UK? We have light motorcycles and scooters for our letter carriers here, with their items in saddlebags - while parcels go via delivery vans.

Depends on the population density of the delivery route. For example we've got a distribution centre in our town and most of the deliveries are done on foot from there (occasionally with a hand-cart). Large parcels are generally delivered by van.

**Azazelx**

Fair enough - makes sense.

**Pahil**

beast_gts wrote:
Azazelx wrote:
Yodhrin wrote:
Just as an aside, is this not a bit useless if the stated goal is to ease the burden on postal workers? Not that I actually expect competence or consistency from the management of royal mail of course, but my understanding is that in general when the posties complain about being overworked, it's because they have to hump around loads of parcels, not letters. So keeping parcel deliveries and reducing letters by a single day doesn't really help much.

Do they not use vans for that in the UK? We have light motorcycles and scooters for our letter carriers here, with their items in saddlebags - while parcels go via delivery vans.

Depends on the population density of the delivery route. For example we've got a distribution centre in our town and most of the deliveries are done on foot from there (occasionally with a hand-cart). Large parcels are generally delivered by van.

In my case we are far enough away from the office that we are in a shared van. Which means that normally two of us go out in one van and do two rounds. So, again in my case, that means all the mail and all the parcels for around 1000 house holds.

Obviously at the moment we aren't allowed to share vans, so one of us either walks or drives our personal car out to the round location, and then walks round to each "loop" location to meet up with the van driver.