UK Heatwave – what effect on door drop?

Today and tomorrow ill see some of the hottest temperatures ever recorded in the UK.

With door drop distribution carried out by individuals walking along UK streets, it’s reasonable to ask what will happen for those who have Royal Mail Door to Door or Team (Solus and Shared) distribution during this time.

In the main, key distribution timings won’t be affected, though there are a few things to consider:

1. Royal Mail Door to Door

If your door drop is booked with Royal Mail this week, then the distribution period will be given as Monday (today) through to Saturday (23rd July).

There is no official guidance or contractual requirement for a percentage of leaflets to be delivered on each day of the week, and we would expect leaflets to be delivered by posties by the end of the week (although worth noting that Royal Mail Door to Door terms afford a second week of distribution where necessary).

For this reason, we don’t expect delays with distribution but we might expect to see a greater proportion of door drop items to be delivered later in the week, after the extreme heat has subsided.

If you are unsure about the terms of your booking or have any other queries relating to a Royal Mail leaflet distribution, please get in touch.

2. Team (solus)

Solus leaflet distribution will mean that your door drop is being delivered on its own.

In this situation we will be working with local team distribution companies who employ staff to deliver leaflets.

This is most likely to be affected by the heat, as the number of hours that distributors work may be reduced and the capacity for distribution is reduced, pushing some distribution into the rest of the week.

Team companies are used to planning for these eventualities, however, and generally when bad weather affects distribution, greater capacity is introduced throughout the week to account for lost hours.

Jobs that require a one day door drop distribution are those more at risk of being affected and if you have booked this type of leaflet distribution for today or tomorrow, it is worth contacting your door drop partner for further advice.

3. Team (Shared)

Shared leaflet distribution will mean that your door drop item is delivered by local teams alongside other leaflets.

This will mean a similar situation to above in terms of the heatwave conditions, however it is rare for a shared distribution to be specific to one particular day.

In order to make shared leaflet distribution work effectively, it is most typical to be flexible on timings so that other clients can book distribution for the same timings, bringing the door drop cost down.

In this situation, we would expect resource to be increase for later this week and for any lost capacity to be replaced.

We will be monitoring the heatwave situation and updating clients regarding their door drop activity, but if you have any concerns regarding your distribution then you’d be welcome to get in touch.

We are resellers of the Royal Mail Door to Door service and we work with a network of UK team leaflet distribution companies, so we can speak with the necessary partners and help resolve any concerns you have.