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.
Shakita, I'm not sure what you mean by the postal carrier overlooked the mail. Do you mean that they looked inside it when they shouldn't have? If you know this for sure, I'd call or visit your nearby PO and speak with a delivery supervisor. It would seem hard to prove though I don't know the details in your case. If you meant that the postal carrier overlooked an outgoing piece of mail and forgot to take it, I'd recommend making it very visible to them next time and if it becomes a problem, please leave a note saying "please take outgoing mail. Thank you." I hope I have answered your question whichever way you intended it.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=the%20postal%20carrier%20had%20overlooked%20the%20envelope&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14806)
Congratulations on being hired by the USPS as a letter carrier. We often walk for 4-5 hours per day so it is important to wear comfortable shoes. The shoes that can be purchased with a uniform allowance can easily cost $100/pair. They are usually black leather athletic or walking shoes with a certified slip-resistant grip. You don't need to spend that kind of money on your own for shoes. To get an idea what the shoes look like, do an Internet search for letter carrier uniform shoes. I wear New Balance and Rocky shoes. Since the prices for our uniforms are pretty high, you can search non-uniform websites to see if less expensive shoes are available. I am fortunate to never have had any chronic foot pain from being a letter carrier, so I can't be any more specific as to what to avoid when purchasing shoes. Good luck to you Dee!
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%27m%20about%20to%20start%20working%20as%20a%20Mail%20Carrier%20and%20I%20need%20a%20really%20good%20pair%20of%20walking%20shoes%20but%2C%20I%27m%20unsure%20of%20what%20kind%20to%20get.%20What%20kind%20of%20shoes%20will%20be%20best%20for%20all%20the%20walking%20that%20I%20will%20be%20doing%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15369)
If someone writes the wrong address but a letter carrier recognizes the name as to where the letter should go, it may be delivered correctly. If we can't figure out where the letter should go and there is a valid return address on the letter, we may send the letter back endorsed "Attempted, not Known" referring to the incorrect address that was written on the envelope.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=What%20if%20someone%20send%20u%20mail%20but%20right%20the%20wrong%20address&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14301)
Flower, whether you live in Canada or the U.S., my answer to your question is the same: I don't know what can be done to amend this. I don't know that it is illegal either. Most apartment buildings that I've seen have a cluster of mailboxes near the lobby and are serviced by a USPS worker (in the US). I, too, live in an apartment building (a cooperative) and a USPS Letter Carrier distributes the mail. Management has no access to the cluster boxes as far as I know. On the flip side, there may be some arrangement for the management to deliver the mail in your building though I don't know the mechanism that would allow for such an agreement. The only thing I can compare your situation to is that many college campuses have mail that is distributed by non-USPS employees into boxes usually at a residence hall or student center/union. I did that for one year when I attended a university in NY.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20live%20in%20a%20building%20with%20mailboxes%20we%20tennents%20access%20by%20key.%20However%20I%20found%20out%20that%20the%20management%20at%20our%20building%20puts%20the%20mail%20into%20the%20boxes%20and%20not%20the%20mailman.%20My%20boyfriend%20says%20this%20is%20illegal.%20%20What%20can%20I%20do%20to%20amend%20this%3F%20I%20live%20in%20Canada&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14655)
Special Education Teacher
Should special-needs students be separated from other students?
Claims Adjuster
What happens when NEITHER driver is at fault?
Professor
How do you prevent cheating and plagiarism these days?
Yes, we were closed in Nassau and Suffolk for Tuesday Jan 27 due to a pending snowstorm. I believe NY city POs were closed as well. I think it was a good move based on what actually fell where I deliver the mail. The roads were at least passable and most customers had shoveled their walkways to their doors and driveways. Otherwise, delivery of mail may have been extremely difficult. Now to answer your question. I don't remember a time where we were fully closed due to a snow forecast. There have been times where we have come to work and found the road conditions too difficult or unsafe to deliver the mail. I know of no database that has information about the history of when we were closed for an entire day. On Monday, I delievered apprx 80% of my possible deliveries before we were told to return to the Post Office and not report back to work until the morning of today 01/28/15. I'm not a fan of delivering in snow and ice, but we make do the best we can.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=RECENTLY%20A%20CLOSING%20OF%20ALL%20OF%20NASSAU%20AND%20SUFFOLK%20WAS%20DUE%20TO%20BAD%20WEATHER%21%20MY%20%3F%20WHEN%20WAS%20THE%20LAST%20TIME%20THIS%20HAPPENED%20HERE%20IN%20LONGISLAND%3F%20AND%20OR%20WHERE%20CAN%20I%20FIND%20A%20HISTORY%20OF%20INCLEMENT%20WEATHER%20CLOSINGS%20FOR%20NASSAU%20AND%20SUFFOLK.%20THANKS%20DAVE%21%21&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14430)
Kathy, usually they aren't in trouble when being followed. It's a fairly normal procedure done 1x a year. As far as giving him a good review, you could write a letter to the Postmaster at your local Post Office where Ken works or possibly the website www.usps.com has a "contact us" option. To be honest I don't know what would happen with such a letter, but I hope that Ken would at least hear about it and get a copy. If you don't see Ken being followed in the future you can rest assured he probably wasn't in trouble. I realize that you often aren't home when he makes the mail delivery.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20asked%20about%20ken%2C%20my%20mailman%2C%20thanks%20for%20response.%20Was%20hoping%20he%20wasn%27t%20in%20trouble.%20Is%20there%20a%20place%20to%20give%20him%20a%20good%20review%3F%20%3A%29%20I%20will.&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/13409)
I think it should be approximately 3 days for First Class Mail from Wisconsin to California. Our mail transportation is pretty reliable when it comes to meeting our delivery service goals as long as the mail isn't missorted or misdelivered.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=How%20long%20does%20it%20take%20to%20get%20a%20first%20class%20letter%20from%20Wisconsin%20to%20California&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15587)
-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
