My ideal courier is pretty much the opposite of this chap. © 2009 waterj2. Used under a Creative Commons license.

Hello, my dears!

Well, that last post went down well! Apparently, you all like to see me rant and be cranky...who knew? Anyway, I got a lot of messages about it, from people who said they agreed with me to others who asked for more personal posts. Well, my darlings, I strive for variety, but I was never one to neglect my audience, so today, I've decided to grant you your wish, and write another 'opinion post'. And because the last one was so glum and scoldy and negative, this one is going to be the opposite: today, I am going to give you an idea of Gertie's perfect courier.

Now, last time, we went over some of the things I don't like. Tattoos, rude boys and gum-chewers are not welcome in my driveway, as I have hopefully made clear. But what are some of the things I do like, some of you have asked? Hopefully, the next few lines will answer that question.

Now, talking specifically about people in the courier industry, I think the most important trait for me is politeness. In my town, we have three mailmen and about as many regular courier drivers doing the rounds. Of those, one is a gruff old man, the other is a bit distant, but all the others are absolute darlings – especially one of the mailmen who always has a bit of chitchat for me and sometimes stops to have his mid-morning meal and give me all the gossip. Evidently, I prefer him to all the other mailmen, just as I prefer the smiley chap who usually comes around with my parcels – even despite the fact that he does have a visible tattoo (but it's the name of his baby daughter, so it's a bit more acceptable than a skull or whatnot.) So, personality and personableness (is that a word?) are trait number one in Gertie's list of desirable attributes for a courier.

Number two is, well, looks. Yes, I know, shallow, but I am a girly girl – I do like my eye candy! Both the mailman and the chap I described above are quite good looking, so I never do mind having them in the cafe. Reproachable? Maybe, but what's a girl to do, right?

Last but not least, obviously, I require that my perfect courier be good at his or her job (I didn't say it had to be a man, did I?). As pleasant as banter and looks are, there's nothing more annoying than having your parcel returned, or lost, or delayed. Some drivers are awful with this, and then give you lip when you try to call them out on it – another thing to keep in mind when it comes to no-no's, by the way.

So there we have it – polite, handsome, charming and efficient. A lot to ask? Maybe, but then again, this is just what I look for in a courier. Most girls look for all of this in their dates. So I don't think I'm the worse in that regard...do you? ;)

x
Gertie