MailmanDave
17 Years Experience
Long Island, NY
Male, 43
I am a City Letter Carrier for the US Postal Service in NY. I've been a city letter carrier for over 17 years and it is the best job I've ever had. I mostly work 5 days per week (sometimes includes a Saturday) and often have the opportunity for overtime, which is usually voluntary. The route I deliver has about 350 homes and I walk to each of their doors to deliver the mail. Please keep in mind that I don't have authority to speak for the USPS, so all opinions are solely mine, not my employer.
Saturday is Nov. 29 and Priority Mail in the continental 48 states is usually 3 days maximum for delivery. The packages are usually in transit 7 days a week so I would say there is an excellent chance your package will arrive by Saturday. USPS Priority Mail is a superb service in my opinion. I often look at the mailing dates when I deliver a Priority Mail item and it has rarely taken more than 3 calendar days from origin to destination.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=My%20package%20is%20being%20shipped%20to%20GA.%20Currently%20it%20says%20November%2025%2C%202014%20%2C%208%3A24%20pm%20-%0AArrived%20at%20USPS%20Facility%0ACITY%20OF%20INDUSTRY%2C%20CA%2091715.%20It%20was%20shipped%20via%20Priority%20mail.%20Do%20packages%20still%22travel%22during%20thanksgiving%3F%20Will%20I%20get%20it%20by%20Saturday%3F%20Thanks%21&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/13961)
I am not sure if the mailman will allow this since many of us act differently than others and we are rarely told of any rules (if any exist) regarding this situation. If I were your letter carrier and I knew you (or you could positively ID who you were) and the mail was easy to find in the outgoing mailbox I'd have no problem allowing you to retrieve that mail. I don't know how full your building mailbox gets. Some buildings just have a few pieces of mail left for pickup. Others are overflowing with outgoing mail. As I answer with many questions on this question board, "It depends". The consistency within the USPS is quite inconsistent.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20mailed%20a%20check%20to%20the%20wrong%20address%20and%20placed%20it%20in%20my%20building%27s%20mailbox%20for%20pickup%20by%20the%20mailman%2C%20once%20the%20mailman%20comes%20for%20pick%20up%20will%20he%20be%20able%20to%20allow%20me%20to%20retrieve%20my%20mail%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15249)
Tina, when I get a question like this it disturbs me because I have to think it wasn't an innocent error that the item was scanned as "delivered" but no notice was left nor was the item. As an aside, if a notice was left, the package would have been scanned as "attempted". It could've been an error, but I will explain why I think it may not have been. When the packages arrive at our PO in the AM, they are all scanned as "arrival at unit". Then, at the end of the work day, our supervisors are supposed to make sure that each item has an additional scan such as "attempted" or "delivered" or "business closed", etc. I know at our office that if they can't find the parcel as accidentally left behind in the office they may assume the parcel was delivered and enter it as such. Amazon specifically wants their items delivered the day they arrive at the destination PO. In a way this is falsifying and undermining the integrity of our scanning system. I won't say this happens to many items nor do I know if it's widespread. Hopefully what I described above is what happened with your package and it should be delivered on the following delivery day.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Why%20would%20my%20carrier%20report%20my%20package%20delivered%20and%20it%27s%20not%20in%20my%20box%20no%20notice%20left%20I%20live%20in%20apartment%20complex%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15450)
I don't like to quote too many rules here on jobstr with regards to what a letter carrier can and can't do. One of the main reasons is that many rules are barely told to us, if at all, and the enforcement of any rules seem so inconsistent even within a particular office. In our office we are told not to have both ears plugged with earphones while delivering mail (driving or walking). I use earphones but only have one ear plugged in. I wouldn't be surprised if some of my co-workers have them both plugged in, because "rules" are for other people, not them. I also think we are allowed to play a radio in our vehicles, but it shouldn't be that loud where you can't hear what's going on around you. That is rude and a safety concern as far as I see it. I'm glad that no threats were made and nobody was touched. I won't stick up for my fellow employees who have any type of bad attitude or poor work ethic or don't follow some basic courtesy rules.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=thank%20you.%20%20that%27s%20what%20i%20hoped.%20%20i%20said%20some%20things%20after%20i%20walked%20away%28about%2020%20feet%29.%20%20no%20threats%20were%20made%20and%20nobody%20was%20touched.%20%20are%20you%20allowed%20to%20have%20phone%20plugs%20in%20your%20ears%20and%20the%20radio%20going%20in%20your%20truck%20where%20you%20can%27t%20hear%20people%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15736)
Bar Mitzvah DJ
Why are DJ's so unwilling to accommodate song requests?
Lifeguard
Are most public pools just gross lakes of bodily fluids?
Bartender
How often would you date customers?
Usually a point of delivery that has been establish (whether it be a group of cluster boxes in a trailer park or individual mailboxes at each trailer) doesn't get changed easily. I wouldn't accept a request like that to be made as that makes us less efficient and if it's done for one customer, others could claim they want it delivered to the house as well.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20can%27t%20seem%20to%20catch%20the%20mail%20lady%20delivering%20the%20mail%20at%20our%20trailer%20park%20in%20the%20mailbox%20can%20I%20get%20her%20to%20deliver%20the%20mail%20to%20my%20house%20instead%20of%20putting%20it%20in%20the%20box&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16096)
Two good questions that are easy to answer. 1) there is no radio in the LLV which I drive. It's possible some postal vehicles have radios but not the one I use. Some carriers bring a portable radio with them or listen on their mobile devices to music or podcasts. I listen to podcasts while delivering the mail. I have one ear with the earphone in it and the other left open so I can hear any traffic or people looking to get my attention. We are probably not supposed to work with both ears covered.
2) I get both a pension and a 401(K) type program since I'm employed by a quasi-governmental organization. The pension is called FERS (federal employees retirement system) and the 401(K)-type program is called the Thrift Savings Plan. Along with Social Security, they make up the 3 "legs" of the retirement system under which I'm covered. The TSP offers a lot of potential growth because you can contribute a lot of your earnings plus the USPS matches some of your contributions. You choose how aggressive of an investor you want to be with your TSP contributions. Thanks for your questions and asking something I actually know about. Many of the questions here I can only answer by my experience not necessarily what the rules may be or how different people would act in a situation.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Actually%20had%20two%20questions%20for%20you%3F%0A%0A1.%20Is%20there%20radio%20in%20the%20mail%20delivery%20truck%20that%20you%20can%20listen%20to%20when%20driving%3F%0A%0A2.%20Do%20you%20get%20a%20pension%20or%20a%20401k%20since%20you%20work%20for%20a%20company%20ran%20by%20the%20government%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16119)
The most anything should take across the USA is 3-4 days I think. If you mail the postcards on Thursday I think there is a good chance they will arrive by Monday. Most first-class mail, which would include your postcards, usually takes 2 days locally and up to 4 days nationally as far as I know. As long as the postage is sufficient (.35 or .49) and the mail is addressed properly, the USPS does a very good job of meeting those service standards.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20sent%20out%20100%20postcards%20on%20Monday%20across%20the%20usa%20and%20my%20own%20state%20how%20long%20should%20it%20take%20for%20them%20to%20arrive%3F%20%0A%0AAlso.%20I%27m%20sending%20out%20a%20100%20more%20tomorrow%20across%20the%20usa%20should%20they%20arrive%20by%20Monday%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16129)
-OR-
Login with Facebook (max 20 characters - letters, numbers, and underscores only. Note that your username is private, and you have the option to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)
(A valid e-mail address is required. Your e-mail will not be shared with anyone.)
(min 5 characters)
By checking this box, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to Jobstr.com’s Terms and Privacy Policy.
-OR-
Register with Facebook(Don't worry: you'll be able to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)
Browse Jobs
Host a Q&A
Search
Submit Your Question
Host a Q&A
Last 7
