I had a crash course in shop work today. Ebay shoppers had a sudden urge to bid last night and we ended up with fourteen parcels to pack, including several with multiple items and two going overseas. This job can be quite exciting at times.
I’ve not quite got the hang of it yet, because the ebay site has changed a bit since I last used it, and not necessarily for the better. However, I’m sure I’ll get used to it.
The stages of packing a parcel are –
Check ebay notification
Find item (stock control will, I hope, improve when we move shops)
Select correct envelope
Insert item into envelope (which may require wrestling and ingenuity)
Add compliments slip
See if it goes through the slots in the card we have – Large Letter or Small Letter
Weigh
Select appropriate postage rate for size, weight and country
Write postage on envelope
Put appropriate sticker on – Signed for, Special delivery etc
Stick stamps on
Seal
Write address
Write return address
Air Mail sticker (if necessary)
Customs Declaration (if necessary)
Simple enough, you would think, but I managed to cock it up several times. There are a number of ways to get it wrong if you are new to the job, talking at the same time and thinking of that delicious salad your wife is making you have for lunch. And that’s before you drop the pen, stick a stamp on upside down, lose the stickers…
All in all, an interesting day, for me. I’m not sure it makes riveting reading though, as I seem to have failed to capture the drama and romance of putting coins and banknotes into padded envelopes.
Tomorrow it might be a medallion. Who knows? Life can get pretty crazy at the cutting edge of retail.
The coin in the picture is from the reign of Elizabeth I (1533 – 1603). It was actually one of the detector finds from the farm, but I thought a coin picture would look good seeing as I work in a coin shop.
That is a lovely coin, and found on the farm at that!
Yes, they found a few nice coins on the farm, plus a few Roman artefacts. It was on the old Fosse Way, which has been a main road from Exeter to Lincoln since Roman times.
Years ago, when the consulting group I worked for was sending out reports, they would sometimes go out in boxes (back when people wanted hard copies). The head of the print shop taught us how to pack and tape up the boxes. I can still hear him saying “Make that tape sing,” which meant to stretch it tight. I still use his packing techniques.
I’m pretty good with tape as I used to pack a lot of eggs in cardboard boxes. I’m less good with other things, as if to compensate. 🙂
Fourteen parcels? This is sounding very like slave labour. I am pleased that you managed to get through it all and I hope that the salad gave you the strength to carry on.
I’m sure I’ll emerge from this salad-fuelled servitude both richer in pocket and thinner in body, even if I am broken in spirit…
The coin is a beauty! I’m sure I’d find great difficulty getting all those packing details memorized.
I’m writing it down now, which should make things easier.
I am sure it is easy to miss a step in the process. A truth no one seems to want to acknowledge is that few jobs are simple. What a lovely, lovely coin!
I like them – there’s something about the hands-on nature of a hammered coin that appeals to me. Sounds like the subject of future post!
Sure does!
Most Australian coins are a bit ordinary so an Elizabethan coin would really spark my interest.
They are interesting things, though Australian coins have their good points too.
I’m sure I’d cock it up. Should you need evidence have a look at this one: https://derrickjknight.com/2012/09/21/2110/