A few days before Christmas, it's parcel madness at the La Poste center in Narbonne. To ensure deliveries on time, precise organization is essential: we were invited behind the scenes of the mail platform and we followed a postwoman on her tour.
It's 5 o'clock and the sun hasn't risen yet. However, the Narbonne mail platform is agitated. Trucks full of parcels and letters are already on the way, the postmen's rounds will begin soon. Because during the Christmas holidays, La Poste faces an avalanche of packages to deliver.
A peak with around 9,500 packages at the Narbonne establishment
Olivia Perchet, operational and production manager, and Jean-François Marty, operations manager. Independant – PHILIPPE LEBLANC
Especially when the trend of online shopping and last-minute gifts is not running out of steam. “The closer we get to Christmas, the more the volume increases. It often explodes on Wednesdays and in recent days we are at a peak with around 9,500 packages at the Narbonne establishment,” indicate Olivia Perchet, operational and production manager, and Jean-François Marty, operations manager.
The packages are ready to be distributed. Independant – PHILIPPE LEBLANC
The Narbonne platform, which centralizes the mail for half of the department, then takes on the appearance of Santa's workshops. To get each package to its destination, the agents put the package together. “Perfect organization is essential. Two trucks filled with 33 trolleys containing an average of 70 packages each arrive at the mail platform at 5 a.m. During the holidays, a third truck completes the fleet.”
Up to 200 packages per day on a tour
Misaddressed packages first return to the Narbonne platform in the hope of finding the recipient. Independant – PHILIPPE LEBLANC
As for the postmen, the day's briefing begins at 8 a.m. Previously, it was necessary to sort the mail to be distributed “and flash each package to assign them to a tour”. The vehicles are then loaded. A real puzzle for Jocelyne, postwoman, who is going through her 3e Christmas with La Poste. “I arrange the packages according to the addresses to be delivered. We have the impression of wasting a little time, but in fact we then gain some at the time of distribution. Organization is the key! If we are messy, we won't find our way and we'll be stressed”, she confides. During a “Christmas round” including both mail and parcels, postmen can deliver 180 parcels per day instead of the usual 80. “We can even exceed 200 on tours where housing is denser.”
Harness the vehicle before the tour, a strategic step for Jocelyne. Independant – PHILIPPE LEBLANC
Load the vehicle before the tour, a strategic step for Jocelyne. Independant – PHILIPPE LEBLANC
A rate of 2 minutes per package to be distributed
At 9 a.m. it's time to turn on the ignition and go on distribution. The morning tour will last until lunchtime and conclude at 2:45 p.m. “At the moment, we're running a little over schedule, but the team is united: there's no question of leaving a colleague with packages on the desk! Everyone plays the game and we help each other. It's intense work , but teamwork.”
From house to apartment, Jocelyne must keep the rhythm: “The postmen distribute on average 30 parcels per hour. They therefore have 2 minutes per parcel. The majority of parcels enter the standardized mailboxes. But if they are oversized or with a signature, we lose a little more time”.
Long live the devil for loading heavy packages. Independant – F.P.
Other obstacles for Jocelyne, “bells that don't work, customers who don't answer when you call them, or poorly addressed packages… Sometimes you have to be a bit of a detective to find the address of the recipients. Fortunately, there are plenty of solutions: you can entrust the package to a neighbor, or deliver it to the recipient's mother… especially when you are a postman and know the people you trust.”
Postmen sometimes play detective to find the recipients. Independant – F.P.
Therefore, for Jocelyne, during this festive period, “The hardest part isn't the workload. It's more the big packages, especially when you're a girl. I admit that the devil is very practical!” And above all, it's the time of year when Post Office users wait for the postman like Santa Claus. So Jocelyne sometimes has the feeling of being “an elf who delivers gifts… The customers are happy and have stars in their eyes when I bring them their packages. It cracks me up, because I love Christmas!”
At La Poste, Christmas is being prepared in August
Christmas is a crucial time at La Poste. “From the months of August and September, we will calculate the number of reinforcements that we will need in certain sectors. To do this, we make projections to anticipate the quantity of packages to be delivered. We start early to also plan the number of vehicles, telephones, security equipment… Generally, we employ 8 to 9 reinforcements to relieve the 22 agents present throughout the year”, explain Olivia Perchet, operational and production manager, and Jean-François Marty, operations manager.
The key figures
Throughout the year, the Narbonne mail platform receives an average of 1,800 packages per day and there has been an increase of 20% over the past two years. During the holiday period, the number of packages received each day rises to 3,400 or 3,500. The postmen distribute around 3,200 each day over 22 rounds.
Out of 100 packages received in Narbonne, 93 are distributed the same day. Around 5% are subject to a notice because the user is not present. The rest of the packages have an incorrect address and return to the platform: before being returned to the sender, these packages are kept for a week at the platform in the hope of finding the recipient. “However, 99% of packages include the customer's telephone number: they can therefore be contacted for successful distribution from day one.” For packages that exceed 20 kg, La Poste prefers to anticipate by notifying the delivery in advance. “This saves the customer from waiting and it is also a question of safety for our agents.”
