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.
I am appalled at these observations of a mail carrier. If they are a city letter carrier, they aren't allowed to do any of the as far as I know. The actions seem completely unprofessional and probably against postal regulations. I would never give someone a ride in my mail truck or even have enough time to talk to one person on the route. If I talk to someone for even a few minutes I start to get anxious that I'll be late returning to the PO from my delivery route. I don't think it is against the rules to take a ride with someone while you are in uniform as long as the mail is secured in the postal delivery vehicle. We are authorized a 30 minute lunch break, two 10-minute breaks, plus whatever bathroom breaks are necessary. I have heard stories like you have told while reading some Facebook Forums or message boards. They are definitely working somewhere I'm not familiar with and with a management who doesn't care to do anything about this. I believe in an honest day's work for an honest day's pay. People like you have observed have probably been ripping off the USPS and the ratepayers for years. There are definitely other USPS workers who would disagree strongly with my comments, but this is how I see it. If you know for sure you aren't getting all of your mail, you could bring it to the attention of the delivery supervisor of your local PO. I would question how you would know you are missing anything. It's possible that your apartment complex residents don't receive a lot of mail. Thanks for writing.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Can%20a%20mail%20carrier%20talk%20for%20hours%20on%20the%20job%282%E2%80%933%29%20with%20just%20one%20person%2Cgive%20people%20rides%20in%20her%20mail%20truck%2C%20and%20take%20car%20rides%20with%20neighbors%20while%20still%20in%20uniform%3F%20This%20is%20the%20worst%20mail%20carrier%20I%27ve%20had.%20Everyone%20in%20my%20apartment%20also%20gets%20few%20mail&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15193)
I don't know the procedures for determining whether a not a building is "officially" considered multi-unit for mail deliver purposes. I once had a person who was leasing part of a house of I could put his mail into a separate mailbox on the side of a house and I said no. The house is considered one address and all of the mail goes in a single box. The landlord can separate the mail. I would think if it's a 2-family house and the boxes are clearly marked as "apt 1" and "apt 2" or something similarly distinctive and the mail is addressed accordingly it may be okay. I truly don't know what constitutes multi-unit or not as far as mail delivery goes. I also don't know if the stairs have any effect to the answer. It's not uncommon to walk up stairs to deliver mail so I can't outright say no due to the stairs separating the mailboxes of the 2 units.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=are%20mail%20carriers%20required%20to%20deliver%20to%20separate%20boxes%20at%20a%202-family%20house%2C%20assuming%20the%20boxes%20specify%20%27apt.%201%27%20and%20%27apt.%202%27%20%28particularly%20if%20the%20boxes%20are%20on%20different%20levels%20separated%20by%20stairs%29%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15992)
I don't know this answer since I don't work in the hiring area and don't know what the conversations are like. My guess from what I've seen is that it's not likely that a 4-day schedule will be allowed and then 2 days at school. The CCAs in our office have to sometimes work on Sunday delivering Amazon.com packages. I think that CCAs are supposed to be available on a very dynamic schedule so I don't know if you could get an agreement from the USPS to guarantee no work on the days you'd like to go to school. It doesn't hurt to ask and just because I haven't seen it done doesn't mean it's not possible. Good luck.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20have%20an%20interview%20Thursday%20to%20be%20a%20city%20carrier%2C%20is%20it%20possible%20for%20me%20to%20carrier%20four%20days%20and%20go%20to%20school%20the%20other%20two%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15505)
Bradan, Congratulations on surviving the winter! That can't have been fun at all. I'm just glad it's over also. As much as the heat isn't fun, I prefer it over the cold. I know there are others who feel quite differently about that. As far as tips go, my main tips are: 1) Drink plenty of water or some other liquids. I've heard different schools of thought whether or not Gatorade is good. My joke is that on the internet you can find anybody to support your opinion. I would guess that it works but there is a very high sugar content. The key is to stay hydrated.
2) Wear a hat to block the sun off your head and face. I wear a cowboy-type hat which works well. I fold the edges up by the ear so it doesn't look so funny but there is a tradeoff in that I'm exposing more of my face to the sun. I'm not sure what the official name of the hat is. You could also wear a white mesh pith helmet. Baseball caps will help as well but not cover too much of your face or neck for sun exposure. I also wear sunglasses most of the time.
3) Wear as light clothes as possible. I usually wear shorts in the warm weather and a short-sleeve uniform shirt with a t-shirt underneath.
Those are the basic tips that I can think of. Make sure to ask or take a cue from your fellow carriers, as I'm far from being an expert on this. On the very hot and humid days I consume water without even thinking about it, usually bringing about 2 liters with me plus some orange juice to drink with lunch.
Good luck to you. During July and August there is so much extra work to do because of our fellow workers going on vacation. We never seem to have enough help. I'm sure that story is repeated in many Post Offices nationwide.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%27m%20a%20CCA%20in%20Ohio%20that%20survived%20the%20winter%20%28YAY%21%29%20and%20this%20will%20be%20my%20first%20summer%20working%20for%20the%20USPS.%20Do%20you%20have%20any%20tips%20for%20surviving%20the%20heat%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15045)
Nightclub Promoter
How do you decide who gets into your club?
Chef
Do you get offended when a customer sends back a dish?
Bracketologist
Why have there been so many 15-2 upsets, but no 16-1's?
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)
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)
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)
-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
