Posting for Christmas.

in_the_Cotswolds

I'm a postie and every year we get cards and presents that we can't deliver or more importantly return to the sender.  If you are unsure of the address please, please put your return address on the back. Especially if children have sent the card to Grand parents.

I remember I had one letter addressed to Nanny and Grampy, The Road, The Town, no postcode (not real address just for this post). With no return address. The problem was this Road had numbers from 2-346 and I had to return it.

We also get parcels wrapped in one sheet of flimsy Christmas paper, clothes especially jumpers, fleeces scrunched down as tight as possible and again wrapped in a sheet of brown paper. Many times it has come open and we bag it but we don't know if anything is missing.

This is an update. Please seal you Christmas cards, don't tuck the flap in because they can come open in the sorting machines.

Please help us to help you.

Mrs_Ryan

Sage advice there. OH works in a Mail Centre on parcels and he gets fed up of the amount of incorrectly wrapped parcels. Now every time I send a parcel he checks it to make sure it’s wrapped well enough- I always use strong posting bags with plenty of tape. 

in_the_Cotswolds

Your OH knows how I feel.  I get annoyed and upset.  Annoyed that people don't care about how they wrap presents up. It could be a very important present ie a baby's first Christmas and upset because I can't deliver it due to people not thinking.

When my wife sends a parcel to my daughter and granddaughter I also check it make sure it's wrapped and sealed properly.

MalMonroe

A couple of years ago my daughter sent a birthday card to her dad who lives overseas (we divorced a long time ago). She'd printed out a label and stuck it on the envelope. She had, as you advise, written her name and address on the back - before sending it off via airmail. A few weeks later the card came back - the label had either been removed or had fallen off (although it was firmly affixed) and the only address on the front was 'Dad' in my daughter's handwriting. We had a really good laugh but did feel sorry for any postperson trying to deliver that and obviously she was sorry that the label had fallen off. She did get it back, though and was grateful to know what had happened. In the end she took a photo of the card and sent it via the internet. Not the same but still.

So I'd just say that if you are attaching labels, please ensure they are firmly stuck.

sheramber

Our local sorting office received a bottle of whisky wrapped in brown paper........ with the contents dripping out.

MalMonroe

sheramber said:

Our local sorting office received a bottle of whisky wrapped in brown paper........ with the contents dripping out.

Oh dear, that's so dangerous! Especially in this day and age when people can actually buy online and then have things delivered direct to the recipient. I guess quite a few people just aren't quite au fait yet. 

in_the_Cotswolds

This is more common than people think. One of the most common is oils. One package leaked so badly the customer had to collect it because we didn't know what is was.