There is something members of the public could do about the abysmally low wages of Britain’s parcel couriers (‘Customers don’t care as long as it’s cheap’, G2, 30 May). If purchasers kept a small stack of £1 and £2 coins by the front door, drivers delivering to 80 homes a day would be well on their way to a decent wage. Admittedly, tipping relieves the parcel companies of the need to develop a more ethical business model, but the pressure for them to do so can be maintained. The impact of a £1 tip on the price of the goods being delivered would be negligible.
Rhys David
Redbourn, Hertfordshire
• I am retired and live on an estate where most properties are empty during the day. I own a car which is parked in the drive, a signal that I am at home. I am often requested by delivery drivers to accept parcels for neighbours. When I agree I am usually asked to provide a full name and a signature. Out of sympathy for the predicament of the driver, who tells me that it is a requirement, I reluctantly comply.
The cost of online deliveries is subsidised by the informal network of residents willing to provide short-term storage free of charge. Just one more illustration of why neither customers nor companies are paying the real cost of delivery.
Helen Petrie
Liverpool
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