Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

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.

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Last Answer on February 18, 2022

Best Rated

is it legal to write a message on the outside of the envelope of a letter im mailing ?

Asked by chaser over 10 years ago

I don't see why it wouldn't be legal. The important parts are that the destination address, return address, and postage are in the correct places and clearly readable. Besides that I believe you may write a message on the outside of an envelope.

Can i put lipstick marks/perfume on my outgoing mail?? I've done it for months now my mail carrier refuses to pick them up.. is that illegal or is it the carrier's chioce??

Asked by Jessie about 10 years ago

I don't know the answer to this and have never heard of it being an issue. I would likely pick the mail up but maybe each carrier has the discretion because it's possible they are allergic to such smells from perfume or lipstick. Lipstick could possibly get on other mail which isn't right in my opinion. Did the letter carrier ever mention to you why they wouldn't pick up the outgoing mail. I haven't done any online research regarding "mailing requirements" so I can't say if lipstick marks or perfume is permitted. I don't recall ever seeing it myself except in Valentine's Day advertising that may say "SWAK" (sealed with a kiss).

My package is being shipped to GA. Currently it says November 25, 2014 , 8:24 pm -
Arrived at USPS Facility
CITY OF INDUSTRY, CA 91715. It was shipped via Priority mail. Do packages still"travel"during thanksgiving? Will I get it by Saturday? Thanks!

Asked by William almost 11 years ago

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.

We are having our front steps removed for some landscaping and the mailman won't be able to get to our mailbox that is right by our front door. What do we do?

Asked by Melissa over 9 years ago

If it is a temporary change, you could put a replacement mailbox or cardboard box (or anything labeled US mail) in an area visible and accessible to your letter carrier. I had a resident recently move the mailbox to near his garage because his whole front steps area of the house was being ripped out, expanded, and rebuilt. Your letter carrier shouldn't give you a hard time about this. If you get a chance you can mention it to them ahead of the construction beginning, or post a note by your present mailbox that you'll soon be providing a temporary alternate area to deliver the mail. Thanks for your question and consideration.

If schools close will you/a mailmen or women still come to deliver us our newspapers or mail?

Asked by Shayreisch@yahoo.com almost 11 years ago

Yes, if a school is open or not has no direct bearing on whether or not the US Mail gets delivered. That being said, if a school is closed due to extreme weather, it is possible that we can't deliver the mail either. Generally it would take a pretty heavy snowfall and unplowed roads to stop us from delivering the mail. In my career as a letter carrier, we have only suspended delivery a few times due to poor weather. Our delivery vehicles are very poor on icy and snowy roads which is quite unsafe and makes me a bit nervous to drive in those poor conditions.

How long does it take to get back to the sender when USPS tracking states : Moved, Left no address:

Asked by Nikki about 10 years ago

I don't know how long that would take. I didn't know that we are able to scan a package or item as "moved, left no address". If the system is working properly and we give that item the same attention that an originating (vs. a returned item) gets then it should just take a few days to get back to the sender. In our office which is shorthanded on clerks, I'm not so sure how quickly the item would be returned. There is a lot as a letter carrier or employee we aren't told or know how long something should take so we just learn a lot by experience. Thanks for your question.

Dear Mailman Dave,
I went to mail a letter in a first class standard envelope to my granddaughter. I accidently placed my envelope in a USPS Priority Express blue box on the street. This was done on a Sunday around 12:00 PM. Will my mistake delay my granddaughter from getting the letter on Monday? We both live in the same state being ten minutes away from each other, and we share the same main post office. I also forgot to add a return address, but I know for certain I wrote the forward address correctly and used a first class stamp. Any help given would be greatly appreciated.

Asked by GrannyBlu72 over 10 years ago

Hello GrannyBlu72! It was fine to drop the letter to your granddaughter in the Priority Express Blue Box on the street. That probably happens all of the time and the letter carrier who collects it would just put that envelope into the regular mail processing stream. As long as you used proper postage for what you mailed and put the correct address on the envelope, the letter will get to your granddaughter. When she receives it, however, is a different story. The letter would likely be collected from that blue collection box on Monday and if sent to the regional mail processing facility (which most mail is sent to even if addressed to the same town that it is mailed in), the turnaround time is usually 2 days. It is likely your granddaughter will receive the letter Wednesday. Until recently, mail within a certain processing area would take just 1-day to reach it's destination.