Just had a row with the post office

[patman post]

Pat lives in Hackney, the second most deprived borough in London. I am not sure that the penny post ever really caught on there.

Royal Mail's delivered letters and parcels round here for years. Other couriers also deliver packages. And the Post Office accepts Royal Mail letters and parcels. But mail and Parcelforce deliveries have nothing to do with the Post Office...

[Borchester]

When I was a teenager in the 1970s, like many other young people I worked as a Chrismas postal worker. I was emphatically told it was against the law to accept tips or gifts and not just by the manager but by the regular postman who took me on the round for the first couple of days.

And did the postie tell you to hand any tips to him so that he could be sure they were returned? 

[Streetwalker]

When I was a teenager in the 1970s, like many other young people I worked as a Chrismas postal worker. I was emphatically told it was against the law to accept tips or gifts and not just by the manager but by the regular postman who took me on the round for the first couple of days. It seems the same law is still in place. I suppose if someone handed you a warm mince pie it would be OK to eat it but if they gave you £5 (or more likely 50p in those days) and said 'get yourself some nice mince pies' that would be a no-no.

Well my regular posty has never refused a bit of folding , I guess the guy that showed you the ropes was just protecting what was his

[HDQQ]

Your a bundle of laughs today Quackers .    The thing is they are not really tips the Christmas box is a gift which is completely different .

When I was a teenager in the 1970s, like many other young people I worked as a Chrismas postal worker. I was emphatically told it was against the law to accept tips or gifts and not just by the manager but by the regular postman who took me on the round for the first couple of days. It seems the same law is still in place. I suppose if someone handed you a warm mince pie it would be OK to eat it but if they gave you £5 (or more likely 50p in those days) and said 'get yourself some nice mince pies' that would be a no-no.

[Borchester]

Maybe the Post Office delivery people don't go to your house, but they come to mine, and I am a customer.
What sort of meaningless POST is this?

Pat lives in Hackney, the second most deprived borough in London. I am not sure that the penny post ever really caught on there.

[Barry]

Post office employees rarely visit customers' premises — you must be privileged...

Maybe the Post Office delivery people don't go to your house, but they come to mine, and I am a customer.
What sort of meaningless POST is this?

[Borchester]

I hope this is true as it exonerates me for not tipping people who come to the house.
Post Office employees, bin men, (milk men and bakers have ceased to exist) get paid for what they do, out of money we pay for stamps and council tax.
I don't expect a gift from them for facilitating their employment, why should they expect one from me?
All the best, V Meldrew.

For the scripture saith, thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.

Timothy 5:18

[patman post]

Post office employees rarely visit customers' premises — you must be privileged...

[Barry]

It's illegal for postal workers to accept tips and it could be seen as illegal to even offer a tip to a postal worker!

I hope this is true as it exonerates me for not tipping people who come to the house.
Post Office employees, bin men, (milk men and bakers have ceased to exist) get paid for what they do, out of money we pay for stamps and council tax.
I don't expect a gift from them for facilitating their employment, why should they expect one from me?
All the best, V Meldrew.

[Borchester]

It's illegal for postal workers to accept tips and it could be seen as illegal to even offer a tip to a postal worker!

And bah humbug to you.

[Streetwalker]

It's illegal for postal workers to accept tips and it could be seen as illegal to even offer a tip to a postal worker!

Your a bundle of laughs today Quackers .    The thing is they are not really tips the Christmas box is a gift which is completely different .

[HDQQ]

So it looks as though everything has worked out for the good, although I was actually working myself up to cancel the postman's Christmas tip. But I am not sure that is legal so I won't.

It's illegal for postal workers to accept tips and it could be seen as illegal to even offer a tip to a postal worker!

[T00ts]

You really ought to do stand up!

[Borchester]

Never done it before. Generally speaking, if something does not turn up I am inclined to say sod it, I am not in a rush. And when I am I make alternative arrangements. But this time..

I rang up the sorting office and said that I had a note through the door saying that the postman was unable to deliver my parcel because there was no reply when he rang. Which may well be true. I am as deaf as a post and if they dropped a bomb outside my front door I would probably think, ahha, Jehovah's Witnesses I dare say and ignore it. But this was important so when the lad at the far end went into his spiel I said don't give me that crap. I have been a postman myself, know that sometimes you look at all the dreck to be delivered and think sod it, I will do it later. And the chap at the other end said that was not how the modern post office ran. And I said no it isn't. In my day the post office ran on good will and alcohol and if a parcel wasn't delivered today it would be delivered the next. But these days all you have are a bunch of box ticking mumpties who will ensure I don't get my delivery before the bloody Rapture.

And he said, so what is in the parcel? Urgent medication or such?

Well yes, sort of, I said. Tree grease.I have a dozen apple trees and if they aren't treated in a week or two the bloody coddling moths will be laying their eggs and crapping in the fruit. And the chap said, why not use sticky bands? And I said nah, bloody bugs just hide underneath the bloody things until spring and then appear fitter and randier than ever. And the chap said mmh, he had noticed that and gave me a tip on an organic spray that he reckons works to stop the mummification of plums. And he said that if I cared to pop down to the sorting office he would see that my parcel was ready to collect.

So it looks as though everything has worked out for the good, although I was actually working myself up to cancel the postman's Christmas tip. But I am not sure that is legal so I won't.