Wednesday, December 8, 2021

The Carrier Has No Clothes

The Pony will soon be all decked out in official work gear. He came home Monday night with a new letter for his uniform allowance. He's been asking for it since two weeks after he returned to work when released by his ankle doctor. He passed his 90-calendar-day probation while off with his injury. So he was eligible for the $500-something uniform allowance. 
 
For that, he needed a specific purchase order/letter thingy from a manager. He got one, but something was wrong with it, or he waited past the time period that it was active. I don't remember the full story. I think it was equal amounts his own fault, and then the manager for not getting him the replacement thingy promptly

Anyhoo... The Pony was planning to hit SEND on the order he already had waiting, but then I threw a monkey wrench into the process by announcing that I was going to buy him a pair of shoes. I got a BA MASON catalog in the mail that day, and saw some suitable black leather shoes, and was tired of The Pony putting off shoe-buying while waiting to get that uniform allowance. 
 
I'd been pushing him to get some shoes WHILE he was off with that broken ankle. His other shoes were already worn out, and he has now worn them another four months! He delayed, because the current shoes he has and likes were discontinued.

Anyhoo... I also wanted to order a pair of shoes for Farmer H, since I'm not getting him anything for Christmas. AND his birthday is coming up. PLUS, I could get a 25% discount on my order. I used to order shoes from there all the time. 

So... two pairs of shoes are on the way. And now The Pony has put off hitting SEND on his uniform order, since I'm buying him a pair of shoes, and he wants to take off shoes and substitute more clothing.

Eventually, The Pony will look like a real mailman. You might not notice, because all you'll see of him in the dark will be that light clipped on the bill of his cap.

4 comments:

River said...

Tell The Pony from me that he should leave the shoes on the order, because the amount of walking he does will wear out a single pair and he will need a back up pair.
It's about time he got the proper attire so he can prance around looking all official.

Hillbilly Mom said...

River,
The Pony is taking the shoes off to get more cold-weather clothing. Only certain shoe brands and models are approved by the USPS for this uniform allowance. The shoes The Pony has now were discontinued, so he'd looked places in person, willing to spend his own money, but couldn't find anything suitable.

If he likes these shoes I have ordered, he will probably get two more pair on his own dime, so he'll have a pair to alternate. Especially with snowy weather coming, and a possibility of them getting wet. And then still have a reserve pair for when one wears out, while he looks for an acceptable replacement.

Shh... don't tell The Pony, but I also ordered him a pair of ankle-high work boots for the snowy times. Or just for ankle support in this slippery season.

I think The Pony is excited about wearing OFFICIAL clothing, with pride.

Sioux Roslawski said...

The Pony has a light clipped onto the bill of his cap? Is that normal mail carrier tech, or is that The Pony bringing his A-game and raising the bar for all mail carriers?

Hillbilly Mom said...

Sioux,
I'm pretty sure that the kit The Pony was given upon employment contained a strap-on (heh, heh) kind of headlight. Like a headband with a light on it. The ones he uses now were given to him by Farmer H, who had a bunch of them at his Storage Unit Store, that he bought at an auction. They are flat and slightly curved. Like a tiny plastic flask. They are made to clip under the bill of a cap. They're LED, I think. Quite bright.