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.
You don't need to explain to any USPS employee why you are returning the mail. It is none of our business. As long as it is an unopened, first-class letter, you should be able to just write "refused" on it and have it returned. Personally I would just discard any unwanted mail. I've received debt collection letters in the past and have just ignored them and not returned them. There are certain classes of mail where we won't return to the sender because the sender has paid a pre-sorted standard rate (which is lower than the first-class rate). In that case, we just recycle any unwanted mail.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=They%20give%20my%20returned%20letters%20back%20asking%20me%20why%20i%20am%20returning%20it.%20%20Isnt%20that%20a%20breach%20of%20privacy%20rightt%3B%20flagging%20my%20mai%3F%20%20Do%20i%20have%20to%20explain%20harrassement%20to%20themnand%20why%20i%20am%20returning%20it%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15256)
Moriah, that is pretty rotten that an ex-roommate would put a hold on all of the mail to your address. I believe you may have to call the USPS help line or visit your local post office to say that your mail shouldn't be held. They shouldn't give you a hard time if you prove that is your address. As far as pressing any charges, I don't have any legal background on what the crime would be and if any charges would stick. The USPS CS # is 800 275 8777.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=An%20X%20roommate%20put%20a%20vaction%20hold%20on%20my%20address.%20They%20do%20not%20even%20live%20here.%20..What%20can%20I%20do%3F%20And%20can%20I%20press%20any%20charges.&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/12961)
Those days aren't fun whatsoever and I don't know that I have a good answer for you as I'm more concerned with the cold. I have heard of seal skin gloves which may work well to keep your hands dry but still be able to finger the mail. I'm sorry I don't have a more concrete answer for you. It's good that you have rain gear for the rest of your body. Don't wear any cloth gloves because they will get wet quickly and soak through to your skin. To find help on this and other questions, I would recommend the Facebook user group titled: USPS postal Maniacs. There are over 9000 USPS employees who are members and are pretty good about voicing their opinions on postal questions (often very negative, but they have a helpful side as well).
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Lets%20say%20its%20a%20chilly%20day%20probably%20in%20the%2030%27s-40%27s%20range%20and%20raining.%20I%20have%20rain%20gear%20for%20the%20rest%20of%20my%20body%20but%20nothing%20for%20my%20hands.%20How%20do%20you%20keep%20your%20hands%20dry%3F%20Warmth%20is%20not%20a%20major%20concern%20atm%2C%20just%20keeping%20them%20dry.%20What%20do%20you%20do%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14228)
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)
Suicide Hotline Manager
Has anyone killed themselves during a call?
Inner City English Teacher
How prevalent are teen pregnancies in your school?
Meter Maid
Is it tough to have a job that consists exclusively of ruining peoples' days?
I don't know why the mailman would take away the mail for the week that had been sitting in your mailbox as well as an "attempted" notice for another package. Did the other package perhaps need a signature? It is common for some people not to check their mailbox for days and it rarely fills up to the point that I can't put any more mail in the mailbox. I hope that the mail reappears or is it possible you received none (not likely) or that someone else in your household (if you don't live alone) took the mail in to your residence?
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Hello%20just%20curious%20my%20mailman%20delivered%20a%20package%20to%20my%20door%20yesterday%20then%20when%20I%20went%20to%20check%20mail%20there%20was%20an%20%22attempt%20to%20deliver%22%20notice%20for%20another%20package%20and%20my%20mail%20for%20the%20week%20was%20gone%20..%20Why%20would%20this%20happen&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16150)
If you mean that you live in an apartment complex or community where it is served by a cluster box which contains many addresses then I can tell you it isn't illegal at all to walk up to a letter carrier. It actually never is unless you plan to threaten or harm the individual and that could result in you doing something illegal. If we are putting mail into a cluster box (aka NDBCU) it could be annoying to us if we have a lot of mail to sort plus we may not give you your mail directly. I hope this answers your question.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=This%20might%20be%20just%20my%20mother%20telling%20this%20to%20us%20as%20kids%20but%20if%20you%20have%20a%20community%20mailbox%20%20like%20in%20a%20neighborhood%2C%20is%20it%20illegal%20to%20walk%20up%20to%20him%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16191)
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)
-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
