The history of the origins of postal services and the emergence of courier services

Hundreds of kilometers of galleries stretch under the pavements of Paris. In ancient times, they served as quarries, from where later, in the Middle Ages, limestone and gypsum were mined for the construction of the city. These underground tunnels have a rich history.

Limestone and gypsum have been mined on the banks of the Parisian Seine since antiquity. And by the 12th century, the development of underground resources constituted one of the most important areas of the economy. The fact is that new fashion trends required completely different architectural solutions. In just a few centuries, dozens of abbeys, cathedrals, churches, and castles were built in Paris, including the well-known Louvre palace complex and Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral.

By the 15th century, developments were already taking place on two levels. It turned out that the network of quarries now had a second floor, located much lower. Special wells equipped with winches were installed near the exits. They lifted huge stone blocks to the surface. If in the 12th century mining was carried out on the outskirts of the city, then by the 17th century the areas allocated for quarries had increased so much that almost all of Paris was literally above the void.

All this led to more frequent collapses of underground galleries. At the beginning of the 18th century, the long underground corridors began to be fortified, and the mining of gypsum and limestone was prohibited. Today, a network of catacombs is located throughout Paris. The total length of the underground galleries is about 300 kilometers, but most of them are located on the left bank of the Seine.

However, the former Parisian quarries, after the cessation of further limestone mining, found a new use. In 1763, the Parliament of Paris decided to move all cemeteries located within the fortress walls to the catacombs. The state was prompted to do this by the catastrophic overcrowding of final resting places. Sometimes 1,500 people were buried in the graves, and huge mounds rose above the sidewalks at a height of up to 6 meters. In addition, robbers, sorcerers and others settled en masse in cemeteries. dangerous people.

In addition, in 1780, the wall separating the Cemetery of the Innocents from residential buildings on the neighboring street, Rue de la Lingerie, collapsed. The basements of the houses were filled with the remains of the dead mixed with sewage. And then the Parisian authorities decided to move the burials to the former Tomb Issoire quarries outside the city limits.

The underground necropolis has been opened to visitors. Although only ancient bones from the Cemetery of the Innocents were supposed to be buried here, over the years of revolutions many bodies of the dead and executed were thrown into the catacombs. Remains that had previously rested in other city cemeteries were also reburied here. As a rule, this was due to the changing political situation. This is how the relics of the ministers of Louis XIV - Colbert and Fouquet, as well as the revolutionary figures Danton, Lavoisier, Robespierre and Marat, ended up in the catacombs. Famous French writers also found refuge in the former quarries - Francois Rabelais, Charles Perrault, Jacques Racine, physicist Blaise Pascal, whose remains were transferred here from closed city cemeteries...

During the entire existence of the Parisian catacombs, many inexplicable mysterious cases occurred. One of them was described in the Gazette de Tribuno in the section of the court chronicle dated March 2, 1846. The note said: “Not far from the site of the demolition of the old buildings, where a new street connecting the Sorbonne and the Panthéon (rue Cujas) will soon be located, there is a construction site of a certain wood merchant named Lérible. The site borders a residential building located away from other buildings. Every night a real stone rain falls on him. Moreover, the stones are so large, and an unknown hand throws them with such force that they cause visible damage to the building - windows are broken, window frames are broken, doors and walls are broken, as if the house had suffered a siege. An ordinary person is clearly unable to do this. A police patrol was installed at the merchant’s house, and guard dogs were released at the construction site at night, but it was not possible to establish the identity of the destroyer.” Mystics assured: it’s all about the disturbed peace of the dead from the catacombs. However, there was no opportunity to test this theory - the mysterious rockfalls stopped as suddenly as they began.

“Later it became known that Eric simply found this secret corridor, and for a long time only he alone knew about its existence. This passage was dug during the Paris Commune so that the jailers could take their prisoners directly to the casemates equipped in the basements, because the Communards seized the building shortly after March 18, 1871 and set up a platform at the top for launching balloons that carried their inflammatory messages throughout the area. proclamation, and at the very bottom they made a state prison.”

"The Phantom of the Opera" by Gaston Leroux [trans. from fr. V. Novikova]. - St. Petersburg: Red Fish TID Amphora, 2004.

Charles Garnier, who won the competition for the best design of the opera house, did not suspect that construction would take almost fifteen years: having begun during the empire, it would end under the republic. He also did not imagine the events that his brainchild would experience.

Opera at the beginning of construction.

It's 1861. The site for construction has been determined. And the first task: a strong, deep foundation capable of supporting the frame structure of the stage weighing 10 thousand tons and lowered 15 meters underground. In addition, water should not have penetrated into the basements, since theatrical props were going to be stored there. They began to dig a pit, and from the second of March to the thirteenth of October, eight steam engines pumped out water around the clock - groundwater ran from the Place de la République to the Palace of Chaillot, fed by streams flowing into the Seine. To ensure the safety of the basements, Garnier decides to build double walls.

At the very beginning of construction, when there was nothing but this dungeon, one new worker came to the construction site, and, having carefully examined the dungeon, enthusiastically shared with Garnier, not knowing who he was: “How beautiful! Just like a prison!” Garnier wondered what kind of life this guy must have had if prison was for him a model of beauty. The worker’s words, as it turned out later, were prophetic.

Unfinished opera house in 1896

“So, the Viscount and I... turned the stone and jumped into Eric’s dwelling, which he built between the double walls of the theater foundation. (By the way, Eric was one of the first masters of masonry for Charles Garnier, the architect of the Opera, and continued to work secretly, alone, when construction was officially suspended during the war, the siege of Paris and the Commune.) "

"The Phantom of the Opera" by Gaston Leroux [trans. from fr. V. Novikova].

St. Petersburg: Red Fish TID Amphora, 2004

On July 19, 1870, France declared war on Prussia. Bismarck's troops inflicted defeat after defeat on the French army, and already in September Paris found itself in a state of siege. There could be no talk of any continuation of construction. The unfinished Opera building was located near Place Vendôme, the theater of military operations, and the troops took advantage of the huge premises of the future theater. Food warehouses were set up here to supply military and civilians with provisions, and there was also a camp hospital and an ammunition depot. In addition, apparently, an air defense complex (or a platform for balloons) was located on the roof.

In January 1871, the siege of Paris was lifted. Due to the hardships of the state of siege, Charles Garnier became seriously ill and in March went to Liguria to receive treatment. In his place he left assistant Louis Luwe ( Louis Louvet), regularly reporting to Garnier about the state of affairs at the Opera.

The architect left Paris on time, because at the same time unrest began in the city, which resulted in a revolution. The leaders of the Commune planned to replace Garnier with another architect, but did not have time - a 130,000-strong army led by the future President of France, Marshal MacMahon, approached Paris.

Commune. Battle in the catacombs. Photo from modern catacomb exhibitions

There are no direct indications of this, but it is likely that in the Opera, underground, the Communards set up a prison; the basement premises looked too tempting. It is known that at the end of the Commune in 1871, executions of monarchists were carried out in the catacombs of Paris. Who knows, maybe it was just for the Grand Opera.

The Parisian catacombs are generally quite a famous place - no joke, their length is over 300 kilometers! (A small part of the tunnels is officially open to visitors). Moreover, the catacombs occupy only one eight hundredth of all the underground structures of modern Paris!

In 1809 the catacombs were found modern look: corridors full of neat rows of bones and skulls - to impress visitors as much as possible. About six million Parisians are buried here - almost three times the city's current population. The latest burials date back to the era of the French Revolution, the earliest to the Merovingian era, they are more than 1200 years old. The catacombs were built in former limestone quarries; local stone was used by the ancient Romans; Notre Dame and the Louvre were built from these stones.

Republican troops drove the Communards out of the Opera on May 23, and on May 28 the Commune ceased to exist. And in June Charles Garnier returned to Paris. September 30, 1871 construction work the theater resumed, and on January 5, 1875, the grand opening took place.

“I soon began to inspire such confidence in him that he took me for a walk to the shore of the lake - he jokingly called it Avernsky - and we rode in a boat on its leaden waters.”

"The Phantom of the Opera" Gaston Leroux

There is no lake under the theater building. There is a water reservoir 55 meters long and 3.5 meters deep. Catfish live in it and are fed by Opera employees. You can't go boating around the reservoir.- and was never possible due to the ceilings being too low. Only diving enthusiasts can get into it.

The basements, as required by safety regulations, are electrified and well lit. However... nevertheless, the Paris tunnel network is so extensive and varied that it leaves much to the imagination. And who said that by giving free rein to the imagination and inventing an underground lake, Gaston Leroux deceived us in the main thing - in the reality of Eric. The best way to hide a secret is in plain sight - in the first lines of the novel, in which the author claims that the Phantom of the Opera really existed.

And in November 2012, the French TV channel "TF1" showed a new five-minute report dedicated to the underground lake of the Grand Opera. This report includes rare footage of an underground reservoir, talks about its history and structure, how and why it is now used... Of course, there was also mention of the Phantom of the Opera. Excerpts from this report were shown by news channels in other countries, including Russia - our First TV channel reported about it.

During the Second World War, a bunker was equipped in one of the quarries, where the secret headquarters of the invaders was located, and just 500 meters from it was the headquarters of the leaders of the Resistance movement. During the Cold War, bomb shelters were also placed there, where Parisians were supposed to be evacuated in the event of a nuclear attack.

Today the catacombs are one of the most popular places for excursions, but only a small part of them is open to the public. The entrance is located on Place Denfert-Rochereau. On the walls of the galleries there are signs with the names of the streets passing above. Under the most significant buildings, images of a lily flower, a symbol of the French monarchy, were previously embossed. But after the revolution, most of these drawings were destroyed.

On both sides of the long tunnels lie endless rows of human bones topped with skulls. Since the air here is dry, the remains are not very susceptible to decomposition. The rest, they say, are controlled by special underground police. Rumor has it that these secret tunnels are inhabited by ghosts and even the living dead.

One of the legends about the Parisian catacombs tells about a fantastic creature that lives in the galleries under Montsouris Park. They say that it has amazing mobility, but moves only in the dark. In 1777, Parisians often encountered him, and these meetings, as a rule, foreshadowed the death or loss of someone close.

Another legend is associated with the disappearance of people without a trace. So, in 1792, the watchman of the Val-de-Grâce church, taking advantage of the revolutionary confusion, got into the habit of making raids for bottles of wine stored in a dungeon under the nearby abbey. One day he went for another “catch” and never returned. Only 11 years later, his skeleton was discovered in the dungeon...

There are rumors that these days numerous sects have chosen the catacombs for their rituals. In addition, the so-called cataphiles (people passionate about the history of underground Paris) and “underground tourists” are regulars of these places.

Another mystical dungeon of Paris lies under the Grand Opera House. The building has a complicated history. The construction of the theater almost failed due to groundwater accumulating under the foundation. Because of this, they could not lay down the façade. In the end, the architect Charles Garnier came up with a solution - to fence off the basement with a double wall. It was here that the writer Gaston Leroux, the author of the famous novel “The Phantom of the Paris Opera”, located his fictional “torture room”, which was later adapted into several films and one musical... In 1871, Communards were executed in these basements, and a year later there was a terrible fire here. ...

The Phantom at the Grand Opera is by no means an author's invention. According to legend, a mysterious ghost still appears in one of the lodges to this day. Moreover, the contracts of opera house directors always contain a clause prohibiting the rental of box No. 5 in the first tier to spectators.

Once, in 1896, Faust was performed at the opera. When the actress, diva Caron, playing the role of Margarita, said the line: “Oh, silence! Oh, happiness! An impenetrable secret! - a massive chandelier made of bronze and crystal suddenly fell from the ceiling. By unknown reason one of the counterweights supporting this colossus broke. The seven-ton structure collapsed on the heads of the spectators. Many were injured, but by some lucky chance only one concierge died... Everyone saw a mystical sign in the incident. To this day he is credited with the antics of the Phantom of the Opera.

What is an ossusary?

OSSUARY (from Latin os, genus ossis - bone), a container for ashes, ashes, bone remains remaining after a corpse is burned. Corpse burning was widely practiced among the Turkic and Middle Eastern peoples in various historical periods as the main action in preparing the deceased for burial, but ossuaries were especially widespread among the Zoroastrians. The ossuary was used to collect ashes from a cooled funeral pyre.

The ossuaries themselves, mostly clay (also stone or alabaster), had the shape of a vessel covered with a lid, on which the “face” of the deceased was sometimes symbolically depicted in sculpture or relief. Sometimes memorial signatures of a benevolent nature were scratched on the walls of the vessel. It could be made in the form of a chest, rectangular or square box. The walls and lid could be inlaid with stone, tiles and other materials. Ossuaries were either collected into family burial vaults or buried in the ground.

Diagram of the catacombs of the GRS system. The original origin of the workings is dated 1260. Due to frequent landslides, a decree was issued in 1813 banning further development systems.

Paris is the most romantic and visited city in the world. More tourists come to it every year than to Rome, Athens and London combined.

Some leave this city disappointed, criticizing the French cuisine, the metro, the garbage on the streets and the crowds of tourists...

What should you visit first in Paris? You can take a ride on the "L"Open Tour" sightseeing bus and take a photo near sights of Paris .

However, it is better to walk around the capital. Moreover, "actually" Paris, apart from the numerous suburbs, drowning in flowers in summer (home to more than seven million French people), is small: from Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris on Ile de la Cité, from which kilometers are counted in France, the district boulevard is only four kilometers away. And in general, they say that in three hours you can walk the length of Paris and another three hours across...

The most popular places in Paris

Every traveler should visit Paris at least once Montmartre. Place du Tertre ("Hill Square") is a real kingdom of artists who sit here for long hours in front of their easels, many of them offering to quickly paint your portrait. If you agree, we recommend that you negotiate a price with the artist in advance and prepare for possible disappointment.

On one of the buildings in the Montmarte district there is a sign that tells about interesting historical fact. It turns out that this is where the Russian Cossacks entered Paris after the defeat of the army Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815 and standing in Montmartre, often and loudly demanded drinks and snacks, while hurrying the owner or hostess: “Quickly, quickly!”

According to the laws of the French language, this cry of the Cossacks turned into “bistro” with an emphasis on the last syllable and came into use by the French to designate small inexpensive cafes and taverns where you can have a drink and a quick snack. Today there are countless of them, and in Montmartre there is also a perfectly preserved Salvador Dali Museum, on Place Clichy there is a huge Museum of Eroticism with two thousand exhibits from different countries.

In total, there are about 200 museums in the French capital to suit every taste, and by the way, on the first Sunday of every month, entry to many of them is free (including Louvre , Orsay Museum , Rodin Museum And Picasso Museum).

It's worth relaxing on a bench in a lovely Tuileries garden or in Luxembourg - this is a huge park with an area of more than 23 hectares. There are fountains, sculptural groups, sports and children's playgrounds.

The palace was built at the beginning of the 17th century by order of Marie de Medici. Now the Senate, the upper house of the French parliament, sits in the palace. Goldfish and huge carp swim in the ponds, competing with ducks and seagulls in snatching bread crumbs almost from the hands of visitors.

Of course, no one forgets to walk along Champs Elysees, one of the most famous “Broadways” in the world, is the current site of parades and festive processions. Since France occupies a leading place on the planet in terms of tourist attendance, in any, even the most seedy town, there is a “Tourism Office”. On the Champs Elysees it is huge, where you can get catalogs, traffic maps, maps, advertisements for museums, theaters, etc. for free. on different languages(some of it is also in Russian).

It is interesting to take a ride on a pleasure boat on the Seine River, as well as stand in line and climb the Eiffel Tower, but you just need to choose a cloudless, clear day. The view of Paris from a height of three hundred meters is the most memorable impression that remains in memory for the rest of your life.

The delights of evening Paris

In the evening it is better to go to Latin Quarter, where between the embankment and Saint-Germain Boulevard and further, to the Sorbonne, in the summer a motley, noisy crowd flows until the early morning - mostly all young people. Here you can feel what it is, “a holiday that is always with you”...

It's worth checking out the popular cafes in Montparnasse: " Rotunda" and "Double" are favorite establishments of avant-garde artists and writers. Walk along the rue Faubourg Saint-Honoré, where there are a lot of luxurious high fashion stores, look into the largest department stores "Prantan", "Galleries La Fayette", but it is better to make purchases at boulevards Saint-Michel and Saint-Germain (more reasonable prices).

And of course, visit the world's most famous cultural and entertainment establishment in Paris - Cabaret Moulin Rouge. Only here you can fully enjoy all the delights of the nightlife of the capital of France.

If you come to Paris with children, then you should definitely go to Disneyland, and it’s also interesting to visit the Vansen Zoo, spread over 15 hectares, and look at elephants, giraffes, monkeys, predators living in almost “natural” conditions...

You should also try the famous French cuisine, but do not forget that of all the national cuisines of different countries, widely represented in Paris, real French restaurants are the most expensive (like Russian ones - with caviar, borscht and pancakes).

It is by them, and not by the first eatery you come across, that you must judge French cuisine. In general, you can get a good meal from the Chinese - 4-5 times cheaper (here these restaurants the cheapest), the staff is very helpful - for which special thanks to the large Chinese diaspora living in Paris.

In defense of the metro, which is often criticized for its inconvenience, confusing passages and lack of escalators, it can be noted that it is very old - it is more than a hundred years old. And we should not forget that at the beginning Paris metro was private.

A plot of land was purchased and a branch was laid there. That is why there are lines that run parallel for a very long time - which seems nonsense. And the winding passages are due to the fact that many tunnels were built on the site of the famous Parisian catacombs.

Hello, dear readers of the Sprint-Response website. Today is September 2, 2017, which means the popular TV game “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” is on air on Channel One. In this article you can read an overview of the game, as well as find out all the answers in today’s game “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” for 02.09.2017.

Our favorite colleagues of Dmitry Dibrov are visiting us today: Vladimir Gomelsky And Dmitry Borisov . These comrades know the procedure, how hard it is to earn money on television, especially on Channel One, but they did not come to work, but to relax. But these guys are very confident in themselves, if they named a fireproof amount of 400,000 rubles, at least they intend to answer 12 questions. Let's see what comes of this.

1. What are long shorts called?

Canaries
Maldives
bermuda shorts
Kuril Islands

2. What fictional creature has recently become a popular meme on the Internet?

Talker
Howler
Munchkin
Zhdun

3. What is the name of the species of butterfly?

orange maker
lemongrass
grapefruit girl
kumquat girl

4. The name of which plant coincides with the nickname of the hero Fenimore Cooper?

St. John's wort
immortelle
Kalanchoe
burdock

5. What height was Sergei Bubka the first to overcome in pole vaulting?

5 meters
6 meters
7 meters
8 meters

6. What is the name of the administrative-territorial unit of Germany?

fire
Earth
air

7. What prevents liquid from flowing out of the cylinder high pressure in a hydraulic jack?

collar
button
cuff
strap

8. What faculty did Rodion Raskolnikov study at?

medical
legal
philosophical
mathematical

9. Which character is missing from the wedding in the classic production of the ballet Sleeping Beauty?

Little Red Riding Hood
Puss in Boots
Thumb Boy
Bluebeard

10. What do sailors often call a “marusa belt”?

cap ribbon
waterline
anchor chain
deck railing

11. What group of instruments does the Australian didgeridoo belong to?

brass
strings
drums
keyboards

12. Who became the first full Knight of St. George in Russia?

Kutuzov
Golitsyn
Suvorov
Menshikov

13. Who or what did Parisian couriers smuggle into newly emerged mailboxes so as not to be left without work?

mice
nettle
embers

14. What mineral forms the beautiful transparent variety “Maryino glass”?

mica
spinel
gypsum
cinnabar

Unfortunately, the players were unable to answer the fourteenth question correctly, but they managed to win a fireproof sum. Therefore, the players' winnings in the game "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" for September 9, 2017 amounted to 400,000 rubles.

The second part of today's game "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" has begun, in which participants Olga Prokofieva And Valery Garkalin . The players chose a fireproof amount of 100,000 rubles.

1. What do they say about a person who does not want to tell anything?

like looking into the water
like water off a duck's back
seventh water on jelly
took water in his mouth

2. How does a hockey match begin?

from throwing out
from throw-in
from toss
from an offering

3. What do men say they love?

lips
teeth
eyes
brains

4. What is the name of a young worker, trainee?

intern
major
boyfriend
editor

5. What expression can be used to define folklore?

from hand to hand
face to face
word of mouth
from foot to foot

6. What position did Gerasim, the hero of Turgenev’s story “Mumu”, hold in the manor house?

blacksmith
groom
street cleaner
coachman

7. What should a producer do as part of his job?

We invite you to virtual shopping in Paris - the “Mecca” of world fashion, the center of the cosmetics and perfume industry. Now, in order to make purchases in Parisian stores, you don’t have to spend money on a trip - our Aviacourier-Express service will become your intermediary in this city.

How to choose and order goods from Paris? Very simple. Visit French online stores, copy the links of the selected products and place them in the order form on our website, and we will buy and deliver them to Russia in your hand luggage by air courier. But even if you haven’t found on the Internet what you need to buy in Paris, this is not a reason to refuse to buy. Just describe the product you need, and we will try to find it ourselves in the French capital.

What are the best things to buy in Paris?

If you decide to use the services of an intermediary in Paris, when placing an order, we recommend that you pay attention to the following categories of goods:
Perfumes - in Paris, French perfumes are about 30% cheaper than in Russia, and if you buy them in a branded store, for example, Sephora or Marionnaud, the possibility of purchasing a fake is eliminated.
Cosmetics – Paris has a very large selection of good cosmetics. At the same time, its prices are much lower than in Russia. For example, the cost of Yves Rocher products in France is two times less than in the stores of this company in Russia. Our shopping agent in Paris can purchase branded cosmetics or special means in parapharmaceutical pharmacy departments at very reasonable prices.
Clothes and shoes - where, if not in Paris, can you buy the most fashionable clothes and shoes? Many Parisian stores, especially large ones, have their own online representatives, which opens up great opportunities for virtual shopping. For example, having studied the assortment of one of the most famous shopping centers in Paris - Galeries Lafayette on the website galerieslafayette.com, you can entrust us with the purchase of clothes, shoes or other goods from any boutique.
Products - amazing cheeses from all regions of France, exquisite chocolate, the famous foie gras (goose liver pate), Dijon mustard and other delicacies purchased in grocery stores in Paris can reach your table the very next day if you use our service "Aviacourier-Express".
Alcohol – do not deny yourself the pleasure of trying real French champagne, wine or cognac. Alcohol prices in Paris start at 3 € per bottle.

How does the Aviacourier-Express service work?

To place an order, fill out the application form below on the page. Our employee will contact you soon and clarify all the details of the future purchase. Next, the agreed application will be submitted to the representative of Aviacourier-Express in Paris.

The purchased goods are delivered to Russia by plane in the hand luggage of our air courier, so there are restrictions on weight (no more than 20 kg) and dimensions (volume up to 200 in the sum of three dimensions).

Shopping with us is pleasant and profitable! Use the services of Aviacourier Express.

Job search. This problem confronts a person in full force when he loses his position due to staff reductions or due to the closure of an enterprise - but you never know, for what other reason... This is a serious life test that everyone copes with to the best of their abilities own strength and abilities.

Yes, you can be led by your own ambitions and live on benefits for years, waiting for a vacancy in your previous specialty, inevitably losing your qualifications over time, and therefore your chances of getting what you want.

Or you can do like Mikhail Averin, with whom today the magazine Reconomica intends to introduce the reader. This man is on own experience became convinced of the correctness of the well-known expression: “If you cannot change something, change your attitude towards it,” and agreed to new job, which he will talk about.

My name is Mikhail Aleksandrovich Averin, I am 31 years old. I live in Yaroslavl, and have been working as a courier for the City Courier Service organization for several years now.

The crisis has affected many people in one way or another. I worked for 8 years as a deputy warehouse manager at a large grocery company. The introduction of sanctions and high competition had a negative impact on us and all staff were laid off. The first thing I did was go to the labor exchange so that while I was looking for a new job, I could at least receive benefits.

Of course, I didn’t receive any offers in my specialty; they started offering me vacancies without work experience. They gave me a referral to the city courier service, where a vacancy was found for “courier”. I’ve seen similar vacancies before on websites and in newspapers, there are quite a lot of them.

A courier is not a pizza delivery person

I imagined that a courier is a person who delivers pizza or sushi according to orders, but during the interview it turned out otherwise.

The courier's duties include delivering correspondence throughout the city. The bulk of correspondence is delivered from courts, judicial districts, from bailiffs, from the tax and pension funds.

As a foot courier, you can't sit still.

Foot couriers are not entitled to transport. The entire city is divided into segments at the discretion of the organization. Each segment must be visited once every 3 days, in accordance with current legislation or in agreement with customers.

Absolutely no education is required, nine years of school is enough. A resume is also optional.

They didn’t ask me about my previous jobs; one desire was enough. The interview was conducted in one stage. The HR manager provided examples of delivered correspondence from all customers, a sample of how to correctly fill out documents, and delivery rules.

Why would it be simpler - but no, and this has its own requirements

There were many requirements, such as good knowledge of the city. Delivery happens to different areas, and sometimes to those where you had to appear infrequently before. Of course, they print a map of the area, but you still have to constantly walk around unfamiliar terrain with your phone in your hands.

The speed of movement is also specified (there is a clearly established standard for delivery and you need to have time to fulfill it). If correspondence needs to be distributed to the private sector, then the distance traveled per day can be up to 50 kilometers.

The courier must always be neatly dressed.

Required and neat appearance, because the courier is the face of the company, and he needs to go to addresses not necessarily in a suit, but cleanly and neatly dressed.

The required quality is attentiveness. It is necessary to ensure that recipients fill out notifications for receiving correspondence correctly and in accordance with the law. Last but not least is self-control, since the recipient may be drunk, inappropriate, or under stress.

Each recipient needs a separate approach, as well as a willingness to communicate constantly. Often you have to explain the procedure for filling out documents, the principles of the company’s work, and, if possible, offer new services to recipients. It is not always possible to quickly leave the recipient; sometimes you have to listen to all sorts of life stories for a long time.

Probation

They didn’t provide me with a curator; so to speak, they immediately sent me on a free voyage. When hired, the courier is assigned the status of “newbie” for 3 months.

During this period, the quality of work is checked using internal indicators.

Delivery percentage - the ratio of the number of registered letters delivered to the number issued. For me this percentage is within 70, and this is a very good indicator. If the percentage is less than 50, then the courier is given a verbal reprimand - either take longer, or deliver more carefully. The only way to increase the delivery percentage was to go to work later, around 6-7 pm, but then I myself got home closer to 10 pm.

They're calling - open the door!

Percentage of receipts based on notifications - this is when the addressee is not found at home and a notice of the established form is left for him so that he can receive registered letter, addressed to him, at the company office the next day. The optimal rate is from 10 to 20 percent. I always fall into 15–17 percent, but this figure is generally arbitrary; it is greatly influenced by the human factor. Some of the recipients are more responsible and always come when notified to receive correspondence, while others, excuse me, don’t give a damn. I myself only use notifications as a last resort.
No complaints from recipients. This is where you get lucky... There are a lot of recipients who always like to complain about everyone, especially about couriers. Such complaints may not be punished; this is at the discretion of management.

Not the last topic - courier earnings

If we talk about payment, it depends on the remoteness of the destination. Average earnings per day are 1000–1200 rubles. You can, of course, try to increase it, but there are few ways.

I chose to work on weekends. To do this, on Friday morning I receive correspondence not only for the current day, but also for Saturday and Sunday. On weekends, however, many recipients are unhappy: people are on vacation, and I bring them a letter from the court... And not everyone can work six days without days off.

My earnings depend entirely on the volume of letters delivered.

On initial stage(the first 2 months) I managed to earn 15–18 thousand rubles. I thought that this was not much, and I was offered to additionally deliver correspondence to neighboring segments. Now, in order to keep up with everything, I had to study the area and choose routes. I fully got used to it only after about a year and a half.

My salary is half white, so to speak. Regardless of earnings, the official portion is transferred approximately on the 15th of each month. bank card. The rest of the amount is handed over to the branch manager approximately on the same day.

Opportunity for career growth

Couriers are not divided into categories; after a probationary period, everyone is assigned the same position. After 3 years, I was transferred to the status of master courier. The difference from usual is that I deliver correspondence throughout the city, and for this I am paid an additional 3,000 rubles.

Judging by my organization, the courier position in it is both initial and final. You can only advance up to master courier. There is simply no further career advancement for couriers.

The hardest thing is to deliver correspondence individuals.

Vacation, bonus, etc.

I also have a social package. Sick leave is paid, vacation is provided twice a year, in agreement with management. But vacation may be denied when there are not enough couriers. Initially, it was assumed that I would also be paid for work in adverse weather conditions. This means an additional payment for delivery, for example, in severe frosts. But during my work there were never such additional payments, although it was minus 32 outside.

Weekends are also paid without extra charge, that is, one to one. The bonus is small - everyone who has worked for more than 3 months is paid extra for length of service in the amount of 500 rubles, and the rest of the bonus is purely at the discretion of management and its maximum amount is 1000 rubles.

And in the rain and in the heat...

Correspondence must be delivered all year round. Handing letters legal entities easier, just go to the office and offer to get said letter without forgetting the formalities. Somewhere they can give you tea in winter.

Delivering correspondence to legal entities is much easier.

The main difficulty is delivering letters to individuals. You walk around apartments, but it’s not always possible to catch a person at home.

If the addressee is not at home, then I leave a notice by registered letter in the mailbox, which is located in the entrance. Over time, it became easier to get into the entrance, as my voice began to be recognized. And at first they often didn’t let me in, they thought that I was sending out advertisements.

Different people meet

Problematic situations often arise with individuals. The most common case: “You did not leave me notice, and I was unable to receive court correspondence addressed to me.” It can be difficult for a courier to prove that it is not his fault. The notice is subtle, often it ends up in the newspapers, and then it can be thrown out along with all the other spam from the mailbox.

Case two, no less common: “You left a notice even though I was at home.” Again, it is useless to prove. Many recipients simply turn off the sound on the intercom or turn off the intercom altogether, and not everyone has doorbells. For example, a complaint was received from the addressee: “I live at the specified address and am registered, but nothing was delivered to me for six months.” The most I could do was write an explanatory note.

There are even more serious cases when the recipient is drunk or inappropriate. Then it is not always possible to leave peacefully.

Dangerous case

I once delivered a registered letter, the recipient lived in a communal apartment with 7 rooms. There was no intercom at the entrance; we had to walk up to the fourth floor of the residential building. There was no bell on the door either, so I knocked.

The neighbors came out, and I introduced myself, as expected. The man was sleeping after work. They woke him up, and it turned out that the man was slightly drunk, but quite aggressive. At such moments it is not advisable to hand over letters, so I tried to leave. But as soon as I turned away a little, a hand with a knife flew at me. The body was not hurt, only the new jacket was damaged.

Management then spent the whole day trying to persuade me not to quit after this incident.

When delivering correspondence to individuals, you often find yourself in unforeseen situations.

Being a courier has its advantages.

But there are also advantages to working as a courier, one of which I have highlighted for myself is communication. I used to have big problems with this.

In addition to constant communication with people from different classes of the population, when delivering letters to legal entities, it is possible to agree on additional part-time work. I also like to be constantly in the fresh air, I don’t like working in a dusty office. Working as a courier, you can constantly keep yourself in good physical shape, especially when letters are delivered to distant villages, and you also have to walk up stairs.

The courier profession is ideal for students.

You can also consider it as a part-time job for the weekend; if desired, you can use it to combine it with your main place of work. If we consider individual delivery segments, we can also work with people disabilities, or those who are on maternity leave, or on leave from their main place of work.