subject: Not All Parcels Are Square: Unusual Couriered Items [print this page] Anyone who works in self employed courier jobs will be familiar with a wide range of parcel shapes and sizes they have to carry and deliver to their intended destination. Boxes both small and large, square and rectangular, are collected and delivered every day of the week with no problems at all.
But do you always know what is inside those boxes? Perhaps there are times when self employed courier jobs involve collecting unusual items or strangely sized items and taking them to their destination.
While not all delivery workers will come across some of these weird items that have been sent to various destinations across the world, there are always odd items that show up every now and then. Here are some of the classics we came across while sifting through the delight that is the internet.
A gorilla made from paper mache
We kid you not. This actually happened, although since the gorilla was ten feet tall we assume he must have been lying down throughout the journey. He must have been very well wrapped too, and lets hope he was in a good mood.
An elephants foot (just the one)
This isnt a paper mache one either it was a real one that had been gathering dust in an antique shop. Someone at some point had decided it would be a great idea to hollow it out and use it to stand their umbrellas in. Not a very nice image, to be sure, but it just goes to show how bizarre some of the items carried around can be.
Passports
This isnt a particularly unusual item, since most of us have a passport. But when someone forgets theirs and they are standing at the airport ready to catch their flight, theyll be glad there are people working in self employed courier jobs that can get their passport to them on time.
Human remains
More specifically ashes: and they are a lot more common than someone outside the industry might assume. Ashes are traditionally presented to the next of kin in a plastic urn with a screw top lid, so they can actually be transported from A to B more safely than some other items you might think of. Like a paper mache gorilla, for example.
Those in self employed courier jobs will carry all kinds of conventional and straightforward parcels during their working days. But there are plenty of more unusual deliveries to be carried from time to time as well, including barrels of cider, stuffed birds and even signed photographs required in a hurry. Sometimes its not the size of the parcel that is of interest, it is the contents that make the drivers eyebrows go up!
If youre new to the business, be prepared for a few unusual parcels to make their way into your van from time to time...
