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Has anyone put a largish postbox near the front door to take parcels (eg
a packet of books that won't go thru letterbox), and if so what models
are working out well? Getting fed up with trips to the post office,
which is well over a mile away and hard to park by.

Did a local drop off point system ever get going?

thx

E.

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eastender wrote:
Has anyone put a largish postbox near the front door to take parcels (eg
a packet of books that won't go thru letterbox), and if so what models
are working out well? Getting fed up with trips to the post office,
which is well over a mile away and hard to park by.

http://www.parcelsafeuk.com/

Not used that but I'm thinking about building something huge out of
waterproof plywood board that works a bit like the bank safety deposit
chute / US street post box with a swing door that obstructs direct
physical entry to an area below where the posted item falls and
eventually rests.

--
Adrian C

External parcel box
 

Adrian C wrote:
eastender wrote:
Has anyone put a largish postbox near the front door to take parcels
(eg a packet of books that won't go thru letterbox), and if so what
models are working out well? Getting fed up with trips to the post
office, which is well over a mile away and hard to park by.

http://www.parcelsafeuk.com/

Not used that but I'm thinking about building something huge out of
waterproof plywood board that works a bit like the bank safety deposit
chute / US street post box with a swing door that obstructs direct
physical entry to an area below where the posted item falls and
eventually rests.

Look at clothing recycling points - at least those around here - which
have a flap/slot/thingy to prevent removal of stuff once it has been
deposited. Might supply an idea or two.

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

External parcel box
 

"Rod" wrote in message
...
Adrian C wrote:
eastender wrote:
Has anyone put a largish postbox near the front door to take parcels (eg
a packet of books that won't go thru letterbox), and if so what models
are working out well? Getting fed up with trips to the post office,
which is well over a mile away and hard to park by.

http://www.parcelsafeuk.com/

Not used that but I'm thinking about building something huge out of
waterproof plywood board that works a bit like the bank safety deposit
chute / US street post box with a swing door that obstructs direct
physical entry to an area below where the posted item falls and
eventually rests.

Look at clothing recycling points - at least those around here - which
have a flap/slot/thingy to prevent removal of stuff once it has been
deposited. Might supply an idea or two.

and i bet even if it was painted bright yellow, with 'parcels in her please
mr postman' written in the largest and clearest font possible, the postie
would still throw the parcel over the fence.... into nextdoors garden not
ours, said parcel contained a printer, or it did untill nextdoors big dog
discovered it, then ate half and burried the rest under the rose bushes.

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On Thu, 06 Nov 2008 18:05:40 +0000, eastender wrote:

Getting fed up with trips to the post office, which is well over a mile
away and hard to park by.

Walk? 1 mile 20 mins, and the excercise will do you good.

--
Cheers
Dave.

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eastender wrote:
Has anyone put a largish postbox near the front door to take parcels
(eg a packet of books that won't go thru letterbox), and if so what
models are working out well? Getting fed up with trips to the post
office, which is well over a mile away and hard to park by.

Did a local drop off point system ever get going?

I have exactly that problem, never in when parcels arrive. Better now that
I can buy from a local Screwfix depot, but still a problem with other
suppliers. Our local Parcel Force depot is about 6 miles away.

A self locking parcel box is a brilliant idea. I know that, during harvest
time, farmers always want combine harvester parts delivered immediately.
The local agricultural dealer will have a lockable wire cage in the yard,
and the parts supplier will deliver at whatever time in the evening/night &
leave the parcels in the cage - I guess they have a key/combination, or it
is left unlocked & they snap the padlock.

DHL have a partial solution to the problem. They have parcels delivered to
a local self employed guy who delivers them evenings & weekends - the
problem is you have to get the supplier to use their service.

Their must be a national chain who are open 24/7 that could accept parcels
anytime & allow collection. Tesco or similar maybe? Petrol stations?
McDonalds?


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

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"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
om...
eastender wrote:
Has anyone put a largish postbox near the front door to take parcels
(eg a packet of books that won't go thru letterbox), and if so what
models are working out well? Getting fed up with trips to the post
office, which is well over a mile away and hard to park by.

Did a local drop off point system ever get going?


DHL have a partial solution to the problem. They have parcels delivered
to a local self employed guy who delivers them evenings & weekends - the
problem is you have to get the supplier to use their service.

That reminds me of the DHL drop off and collection points in germany,
usually at train stations, but also found at tram stops and other easily
findable and reachable places, a set of different sized lockers, in the
middle is a computer terminal, you insert your dhl card or enter the parcel
number, it tells you which locker your parcel is in and opens it for you,

same in reverse if your sending a parcel, after you've paid it tells you
which locker to put it in and pops it open.

i tried to sign up for one of the cards to use the system when i was touring
germany last year, but couldent without a german postal addy, the system
would have been ideal for me to get things sent out to me, easier than the
poste resante service, which is notroiousely bad in germany for some reason,
switzerland it the usual model of efficiancy, 2 days from sending in england
the package was waiting for me, and i was let know via a text message from
the sorting office, with a number to ring if i didnt know what it was.

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In message , The Medway
Handyman writes
eastender wrote:
Has anyone put a largish postbox near the front door to take parcels
(eg a packet of books that won't go thru letterbox), and if so what
models are working out well? Getting fed up with trips to the post
office, which is well over a mile away and hard to park by.

Did a local drop off point system ever get going?

I have exactly that problem, never in when parcels arrive. Better now that
I can buy from a local Screwfix depot, but still a problem with other
suppliers. Our local Parcel Force depot is about 6 miles away.

We (one of my companies) have designed such a box which weighs and gives
the courier a receipt

our current problem is to actually find someone willing to take the
design and manufacture it

.... it is in hand


--
geoff

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On Fri, 7 Nov 2008 00:51:37 -0000, "gazz" wrote:


That reminds me of the DHL drop off and collection points in germany,
usually at train stations

Arghhh - "railway stations"...

:-)
--
Frank Erskine

External parcel box
 

"Frank Erskine" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 7 Nov 2008 00:51:37 -0000, "gazz" wrote:


That reminds me of the DHL drop off and collection points in germany,
usually at train stations

Arghhh - "railway stations"...

Bahnhof

Colin Bignell

External parcel box
 

The Medway Handyman wrote:
eastender wrote:
Has anyone put a largish postbox near the front door to take parcels
(eg a packet of books that won't go thru letterbox), and if so what
models are working out well? Getting fed up with trips to the post
office, which is well over a mile away and hard to park by.

Did a local drop off point system ever get going?

I have exactly that problem, never in when parcels arrive. Better now that
I can buy from a local Screwfix depot, but still a problem with other
suppliers. Our local Parcel Force depot is about 6 miles away.

A self locking parcel box is a brilliant idea. I know that, during harvest
time, farmers always want combine harvester parts delivered immediately.
The local agricultural dealer will have a lockable wire cage in the yard,
and the parts supplier will deliver at whatever time in the evening/night &
leave the parcels in the cage - I guess they have a key/combination, or it
is left unlocked & they snap the padlock.

DHL have a partial solution to the problem. They have parcels delivered to
a local self employed guy who delivers them evenings & weekends - the
problem is you have to get the supplier to use their service.

Their must be a national chain who are open 24/7 that could accept parcels
anytime & allow collection. Tesco or similar maybe? Petrol stations?
McDonalds?


Funnily enough, not currently 24/7, but I always had Post Offices up as
a candidate for this sort of service. Initially it looks like helping
the competition but better to get a sliver of that cake than lose it
entirely (which they seem intent on doing).

And at one time everyone had as local PO... :-(

(Must admit I fervently hope anything I buy is delivered by DHL or City
Link as we have depots for both nearby which we can collect from if
delivery fails. Some other companies are as far away as Luton or Watford
- towards an hour's drive.)

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

External parcel box
 

Frank Erskine wrote:
On Fri, 7 Nov 2008 00:51:37 -0000, "gazz" wrote:


That reminds me of the DHL drop off and collection points in germany,
usually at train stations

Arghhh - "railway stations"...

:-)

Does that drive you mad as well? I thought I was the only one who suffered
from apoplexy at the sound of that phrase.

Even 'Station' would be clear, a bus stops at a terminal or depot surely?


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

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"The Medway Handyman" wrote:

Frank Erskine wrote:
On Fri, 7 Nov 2008 00:51:37 -0000, "gazz" wrote:


That reminds me of the DHL drop off and collection points in germany,
usually at train stations

Arghhh - "railway stations"...

:-)

Does that drive you mad as well? I thought I was the only one who suffered
from apoplexy at the sound of that phrase.

Even 'Station' would be clear, a bus stops at a terminal or depot surely?


You've never heard of a "bus station"?

Surprising, as there's one in Chatham, and one in Maidstone.

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Rod wrote:

Funnily enough, not currently 24/7, but I always had Post Offices up as
a candidate for this sort of service. Initially it looks like helping
the competition but better to get a sliver of that cake than lose it
entirely (which they seem intent on doing).


But Post Offices *do* offer this service. You can set this up at your
local Royal Mail delivery office - you specify which PO the packet or
parcel is to be delivered to if there's no-one in. The card the
postman puts through the door confirms it.

I think there is also an one-off option to have an undelivered packet
or parcel redelivered to a PO rather than to you. I'm pretty sure
this option is offered on the card the postman puts through the door.
You just call them and specify which PO.

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Bruce wrote:
Rod wrote:
Funnily enough, not currently 24/7, but I always had Post Offices up as
a candidate for this sort of service. Initially it looks like helping
the competition but better to get a sliver of that cake than lose it
entirely (which they seem intent on doing).


But Post Offices *do* offer this service. You can set this up at your
local Royal Mail delivery office - you specify which PO the packet or
parcel is to be delivered to if there's no-one in. The card the
postman puts through the door confirms it.

I think there is also an one-off option to have an undelivered packet
or parcel redelivered to a PO rather than to you. I'm pretty sure
this option is offered on the card the postman puts through the door.
You just call them and specify which PO.

Indeed - they do have that option for stuff they fail to deliver. Not
much help for HDNL, UPS, TNT, etc. And that is what I was really
thinking about - hence the 'helping the competiton' comment. (I realise
that Mr Medway had mentioned PF, but thought that it really applied to
all delivery services.)

Never used the PO service as almost everything that would be a problem
is delivered by someone other than them!

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

External parcel box
 

"Bruce" wrote in message
...


You've never heard of a "bus station"?

Is that the same as a "road station"?

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Rod wrote:

Indeed - they do have that option for stuff they fail to deliver. Not
much help for HDNL, UPS, TNT, etc. And that is what I was really
thinking about - hence the 'helping the competiton' comment. (I realise
that Mr Medway had mentioned PF, but thought that it really applied to
all delivery services.)

Never used the PO service as almost everything that would be a problem
is delivered by someone other than them!


Understood.

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In message , Rod
writes
The Medway Handyman wrote:
Their must be a national chain who are open 24/7 that could accept
parcels anytime & allow collection. Tesco or similar maybe? Petrol
stations? McDonalds?

Funnily enough, not currently 24/7, but I always had Post Offices up as
a candidate for this sort of service. Initially it looks like helping
the competition but better to get a sliver of that cake than lose it
entirely (which they seem intent on doing).

Oh, we would if we could, believe me, but sub postmasters are strictly
forbidden anything that may be classed as helping their customers ...

More seriously, yes, as a sub postmaster in a rural area, it would be
extremely handy for me to be a depot for other carriers, but the PO have
forbidden any such activity - which helps explain why we are disliked by
couriers. They think we are just being unhelpful.

--
Graeme

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Graeme wrote:
In message , Rod
writes
The Medway Handyman wrote:
Their must be a national chain who are open 24/7 that could accept
parcels anytime & allow collection. Tesco or similar maybe? Petrol
stations? McDonalds?

Funnily enough, not currently 24/7, but I always had Post Offices up
as a candidate for this sort of service. Initially it looks like
helping the competition but better to get a sliver of that cake than
lose it entirely (which they seem intent on doing).

Oh, we would if we could, believe me, but sub postmasters are strictly
forbidden anything that may be classed as helping their customers ...

More seriously, yes, as a sub postmaster in a rural area, it would be
extremely handy for me to be a depot for other carriers, but the PO have
forbidden any such activity - which helps explain why we are disliked by
couriers. They think we are just being unhelpful.

Good to hear your view. Having once lived in a tiny town miles from
anywhere, it is simple sense to do that. And if the PO doesn't, someone
else might - but always unofficial and as a favour - which isn't good if
anything goes wrong. But I do understand that you are not allowed to... :-(

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

External parcel box
 

Bruce wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote:

Frank Erskine wrote:
On Fri, 7 Nov 2008 00:51:37 -0000, "gazz" wrote:


That reminds me of the DHL drop off and collection points in
germany, usually at train stations

Arghhh - "railway stations"...

:-)

Does that drive you mad as well? I thought I was the only one who
suffered from apoplexy at the sound of that phrase.

Even 'Station' would be clear, a bus stops at a terminal or depot
surely?


You've never heard of a "bus station"?

Surprising, as there's one in Chatham, and one in Maidstone.

Bus terminal or bus depot.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

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The Medway Handyman wrote:
Frank Erskine wrote:
On Fri, 7 Nov 2008 00:51:37 -0000, "gazz" wrote:


That reminds me of the DHL drop off and collection points in germany,
usually at train stations
Arghhh - "railway stations"...

:-)

Does that drive you mad as well? I thought I was the only one who suffered
from apoplexy at the sound of that phrase.

Even 'Station' would be clear, a bus stops at a terminal or depot surely?


Ah - of course it would. A station of the cross. :-)

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

External parcel box
 

You've never heard of a "bus station"?

Surprising, as there's one in Chatham, and one in Maidstone.

Bus terminal or bus depot.

Well they were known as stations when I used to wander around them
looking at the Mud & Dust stock in Maidstone, Chatham etc in the 1950s
and 60s.

And the OED's happy enough with station.

Perhaps it was different in the big smoke.



--
Robin

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In message , Owain
writes
The Medway Handyman wrote:
Bus terminal or bus depot.

A terminal has to be the end of the route. If buses pass through the
bus station then it's not a terminal.

Bus node?

Bus depot is where the buses live overnight and where the drivers get
their tea.

no that's a bus tepot


--
geoff

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"The Medway Handyman" wrote:
Bruce wrote:

You've never heard of a "bus station"?

Surprising, as there's one in Chatham, and one in Maidstone.

Bus terminal or bus depot.


There is no such thing as a "bus terminal". A "bus depot" is a place
where buses are maintained and/or stored, and usually has no public
access of any kind. Nice try, though!

By the way, both Chatham and Maidstone Bus Stations are called exactly
that: bus stations. Official ...

The one in Chatham is apparently due for relocation from the Pentagon
Centre to a site at Globe Lane/Military Road. Medway Council
consulted on its relocation proposals and reported on the consultation
in November 2007.

The Cabinet's report on the consultation is entitled "CHATHAM BUS
STATION PROPOSALS - RESULTS OF THE PUBLIC CONSULTATION
EXERCISE" and contains 30 instances of the term "bus station".

It's a .pdf document:

http://tinyurl.com/6n5cxl
or
http://ww2.medway.gov.uk/FTP/Cabinet..._1278_1895.pdf

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We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Bruce saying
something like:

There is no such thing as a "bus terminal".

Yes there is. It's where the bus route terminates and the driver sits
with his feet up waiting for the next scheduled run to start in the
opposite direction. In the older days it was where the driver and clippy
could be found upstairs, doing the nasty.

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Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Bruce saying
something like:

There is no such thing as a "bus terminal".

Yes there is. It's where the bus route terminates and the driver sits
with his feet up waiting for the next scheduled run to start in the
opposite direction. In the older days it was where the driver and clippy
could be found upstairs, doing the nasty.


I think you mean a "bus terminus".

I repeat, there is no such thing as a "bus terminal". But you can
invent the term if you like. ;-)

External parcel box
 

Paul Matthews wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:
Their must be a national chain who are open 24/7 that could accept parcels
anytime & allow collection. Tesco or similar maybe? Petrol stations?
McDonalds?


To be useful it does nor *need* to be 24/7, just open a long time. Most
supermarkets are douing 12 hours at a shift most days. That would be a big
improvement.

Order something, get reference from order. Go to local Tesco/Sainsbury/Coop or
whatever after noon the next day to collect.

Unfortunately, for me at least, going to Tesco/Sainsbury/whichever
other major supermarket involves car journey plus parking. So the cost
in petrol and/or parking charges would make that hopeless. And that is
aside from the supermarkets almost all being in or on the other side of
town - hence traffic. Petrol stations sound better - but in reality,
many of them are at the supermarkets... :-)

That is the appeal of an organisation with lots of small local branches.
Hopefully walkable distance and even if not, often free for very short
term parking.

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org