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Postmen and shorts

(73 Posts)
trisher Fri 20-Jan-17 14:51:35

Please can someone tell me why postmen now seem to be wearing shorts whatever the weather? I can understand in summer it must be nice, but in the rain and snow? Or is this phenomenon only to be seen in the North East? I know local Geordie girls have a reputation for wearing very little on nights out, but someone delivering the post on a cold winter's day? It's all a bit much!
Don't mind the ones with nice tanned legs so much, but they all make me shiver.

Swanny Fri 20-Jan-17 22:31:49

I currently have a non-communicative postie who wears shorts and a waterproof jacket with hood tucked behind his ears. His holiday replacement is a lovely lady who sings her way along the round and always has a smile for everyone. I wish she was the regular but apparently she likes the variation in being a holiday relief rather than having a round of her own. Whatever their preferences I'm glad we still have posties prepared to deliver mail in all weathers - flowers and wine to them all.

Katek Fri 20-Jan-17 22:46:40

It's not only our postie who wears shorts all year round but also our Sil. Shorts on as soon as he gets in from work and he wears them all weekend too. Doesn't seem to feel the cold.

NfkDumpling Fri 20-Jan-17 22:58:13

Our chatty postman (Tony) has been wearing shorts for years. He says that when it rains his legs dry quicker and speed keeps him warm. He doesn't hang around between chats!

annodomini Fri 20-Jan-17 23:02:42

I was watching teenagers walking home from school. The girls roll down the top of their skirts so that the skirts are barely any longer than the blazers. My GD is just the same. When we were that age we wore a coat on top of our blazers. Was it colder then or were we just more delicate?

trisher Fri 20-Jan-17 23:11:22

I think we just did as we were told annodomini and we got told to wear a coat. These days it's the old chestnut of "No one else wears a coat" and so no one does!

travelsafar Sat 21-Jan-17 07:27:27

I saw a man in Morrison's yesterday in a t shirt, shorts and open toed sandals!!!!! Everyone else was bundled up in coats, hats, scarfs and gloves it was so cold. The lady who was with him was appropriately dressed for the cold weather so they really stood out amongst everyone else!!!!!

Grannygrumps60 Sat 21-Jan-17 09:44:44

Funnily enough, our post has just arrived and I looked out of the window to see the young post woman zooming up the street in her shorts. We are in the north west and it is a beautiful sunny morning, but freezing cold. She did not have tights underneath, so it does appear that the competition is not gender based.

Marydoll Sat 21-Jan-17 09:50:31

Our lovely postie here in Scotland wears shorts. He never walks, but rounds round his route. He says it keeps him fit. The other week when our road was like a skating rink, he was still running. My heart was in my mouth watching him running down the icy hill (in his shorts).

bartonlady Sat 21-Jan-17 09:57:45

One of our posties always wears shorts. He is a great talking point! Made me realise what opinions they have on us, when he remarked he was pleased that Christmas was over as we had received so many cards! I hadn't stopped to think that they looked at what was being delivered. I thanked him anyway as they brought us cheer and news!

Neversaydie Sat 21-Jan-17 10:00:15

The reason they don't wear coats to school is there is nowhere to hang them up

inishowen Sat 21-Jan-17 10:03:31

Our local policeman goes around in a shirt with the sleeves rolled up, summer and winter! I'm talking about outdoors.

Rosina Sat 21-Jan-17 10:17:50

I think there was a national competition a few years back that was mentioned on our local news - some daft 'the last one to give in and wear trousers is a softie' sort of thing; all very good natured and I don't know if there was a prize for the last postman standing, presumably with frozen legs, but since then I do agree they all seem to be wearing shorts 99% of the time. That said our postie has given in and has trousers on this week - so would I!!

Maggiemaybe Sat 21-Jan-17 10:24:08

I just felt inspired to search out this clip of Corrie's Blanche Hunt waxing lyrical about postmen (and their shorts).

m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=j-eCx7orrmg

She'd have been an asset to Gransnet, would Blanche.

KatyK Sat 21-Jan-17 10:40:00

I was just about to post about Blanche Maggie She was so funny.

bmacca Sat 21-Jan-17 10:51:47

My postie always wears shorts and runs all the time. He's a lovely looking lad so it brightens my morning!

trisher Sat 21-Jan-17 10:53:50

It's nice to know that there is no gender discrimination in postie shorts wearing. And thanks for the link to Blanche. She was one of the funny characters Corrie has always done so well- really miss them, they made the programme.

Tessa101 Sat 21-Jan-17 11:10:18

I'm down in south in Hertfordshire and my postmen wears shorts every single day, he was on holiday recently and the lad that covered his round was exactly the same shorts everyday no matter the weather x

grandMattie Sat 21-Jan-17 11:11:05

I once asked a post[wo]man friend about the short-wearing. She replied that wearing cold wet trousers was horrible and it was a lot easier with shorts; your legs dry quickly and you stay warmer...

Craftycat Sat 21-Jan-17 11:17:37

Posties in Surrey all seem to wear shorts now. Even when we were snowed in last week.

fran1311 Sat 21-Jan-17 11:44:52

I was also told that it was a sort of game to see who could wear shorts the longest especially in cold weather. We still have one going round in shorts but the others have given inor.

Diddy1 Sat 21-Jan-17 11:52:46

Our posties are well covered up in the winter, but our next door neigbour always wears shorts, he works from home, but in this climate in Sweden, he must be mad, having said that, he is American!

Gaggi3 Sat 21-Jan-17 12:24:23

I always thought they wore shorts so that dogs couldn't rip their trousers, but the wet trouser thing makes sense, as does the competition for the last one wearing shorts.

quizqueen Sat 21-Jan-17 12:36:26

Wow, you still have a policeman who walks about - outdoors!

Sheilasue Sat 21-Jan-17 12:59:59

Our postman wear long trousers and we live in the South East, mind you think his in his 50's

meandashy Sat 21-Jan-17 13:24:56

I'm in Scotland and one of our posties wear shorts all year round!!
I saw a primary aged boy going to school in shorts last week (-1c)!! I view that as tantamount to child abuse! !