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A Glasgow postman who has worked for the Royal Mail for nearly 30 years has shared his genius tips to help make sure your Christmas cards and gifts are delivered on time.
As we all know, Christmas can be a nightmare. The shopping lists are endless and once we’ve managed to finally wrestle our presents into wrapping paper and sign and seal all our cards, we still have the dreaded task of making sure we send everything to the right address on time.
But G44 mailman Dave Campbell has generously shared all his do’s and don’ts for Christmas post ahead of the busiest season.
Dave, who is about to work his 27th Christmas, wanted to share his top tips to help Glaswegians over the festive period.
Posting all his knowledge on Facebook, Dave said the Cathcart residents who he delivers to would be ‘shocked’ at the amount of cards coming through with the wrong street name.
Dave advised adding a return address to all mail and making sure all addresses were written clearly.
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He wrote: “You would be shocked at the amount of cards that come through with the wrong street name, for people who moved many years ago or with question marks instead of numbers.
“We do our best to get these delivered to the right place but remember that at this time of year the usual postie may not be on the route so the person covering won’t have the knowledge to get it to the right place.
“So this tip goes for EVERYTHING you send. Put a return address on the back of the envelope. That way it can get back to you and you will know that you have the wrong details.
“The person you have been sending cards to for years may not have been getting them.”
He urged residents to make sure addresses were legible – ‘avoid silver pens on white envelopes’ – and not underpay for postage, even if the card you are sending has a ribbon or a badge attached ‘because it could go over the 5mm thickness of a small letter’.
Dave explained that it was also essential to package things correctly, especially if the item is fragile.
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“The unwritten rule is imagine it is being dropped from waist height,” Dave wrote. “Is it wrapped well enough to survive?”
And he joked about the importance of receiving signed packages in person.
He said: “If we have a signed for item we still can’t leave it on the doorstep when you are out just because you are doing a Norman Collier impression over the phone.
“As a postman I really want to deliver your parcel rather than having to carry it to the end but the security and safety of the mail is our priority so if you don’t specify a safe place or it needs signed for it goes back to the office.
“You can arrange a safe place for non signed for items with the postman but these need to be in a weatherproof location that cannot be seen from the street (and definitely not in wheely bins).”
The postie also reminded Glaswegians that they can expect their mail to arrive later in the day in the weeks leading up until Christmas.
“There are evening and Sunday parcel shifts now up until 8pm so don’t be shocked if there is a postie at your door in the evening,” Dave said.
“This also relates to this point, you may get a red card through your door but check the date before getting angry about being in.
“It could be that the postman couldn’t get in your block of flats the day before to deliver the parcel or the red card so it will come through the following day.”
And don’t forget to take your ID and red note to the post office if you need to collect an item.
Dave said: “There’s nothing worse than waiting in that queue to be turned away without the item.”
He also reminded residents to seal their Christmas card envelopes properly.
“Every year I see small cards stuck inside the back of non sealed envelopes and envelopes stuck to others or envelopes with nothing in them,” Dave said. “There used to be a myth that by not sealing cards they went by first class post on a second class stamp. Not true.”
The hilarious mailman also joked that posties ‘weren’t collecting pictures of slippers’ and reminded people that postman now often need to take a picture of the delivery on the floor with the front door open.
His final tip was to send things well in advance to ensure they would be delivered on time.
“The earlier you send things the better,” he said. “The last postage date for second class items is the 18th and for first class the 21st.”
The postie has been praised for sharing his advice ahead of Christmas, with dozens rushing to thank him for helping to mail their cards and pressies.
Jane Hird said: “We think you deliver an amazing service, and we appreciate it! Thank you.”
Meanwhile Frank Ingles replied: “Yer some man Dave! Good luck with the busy season.”
“Thank you for the info and thank you for all your hard work the last 20 years,” Liz Campbell added.
