Ask a Mailman (City Letter Carrier) anything

1237 Questions

Last Answer on February 18, 2022

What do you do if a dog is about to bite you?

Asked by Savvy almost 9 years ago

The USPS is always warning us to steer clear of dogs and don't pet them even if the owner says "my dog doesn't bite". There are some dogs on the route I deliver which I trust to come up to me. I don't pet them but sometimes they will come up to my leg. For the most part i don't get involved with dogs. If we think a dog will bite us we are taught to use our satchel (if we are using one) as a shield between us and the dog. Another item we carry is "Back Off" Dog Repellent which we can spray at the face of a dog if we are bitten or about to be bit by a dog. The dog will usually back off and get disoriented. I have never been bit except for a nip on my legs which I didn't report to my supervisor. There are many dogs on the route which I deliver but most owners are very responible in not letting them out off-leash.

440 Votes

Im waiting on mail from california. It has full address but apt doesn't exist. Will my mail carrier still have it or will it be at local post office? How long does mail usually takes if mailed from California Friday coming to Georgia?

Asked by Brittany over 9 years ago

Mail from California to Georgia which was mailed on Friday should take about 3-4 days to be delivered. If the address is correct but lacking the apt. # it is possible the letter carrier will return the item to the sender marked "insufficient address". If the letter carrier knows where the letter should be delivered to, they normally will deliver it properly. It usually won't be sitting at your local PO and would be hard to find even if it were. I'd say be patient and hopefully it will show up by Wednesday.

439 Votes

I want to have a package sent through the mail but my mail carrier walks would he still deliver it or do I have to pick it up at the post office

Asked by Nick over 9 years ago

It should be delivered by a letter carrier. It may not be your letter carrier. If he doesn't drive a postal vehicle to his route and then walk it's not likely he will be the one delivering it. Some offices have parcel post drivers that deliver larger parcels via a delivery vehicle. If nobody is home to accept the package, there is a possibility you'd have to pick it up at the PO or request a redelivery.

439 Votes

Hello-
Recently I mailed a letter but right after discovered I forgot to put the address label on,but did have my own as return address. That was last week,mailed from another zip code,30 miles away. So how long should it take to mail it back to me?

Asked by David W Beale over 9 years ago

Regarding the letter which you mailed without a destination address but had your return address, I don't know how long it should take to be returned to you. If handled properly my guess would be about one week. I've seen these in the mail before. It would have a rubber stamp marking which says "returned for better address" or "insufficient address" and then delivered to your return address. Unfortunately, non-deliverable mail is sometimes put on the back burner if staffing levels are low and mail needs to be handled specially. That's why I'm hesitant to say how long it will be before your letter is returned.

438 Votes

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i have 661 POC's in my route and I AM BURNING unde the scorching sun. do you have any tips to avoid getting burned and stay cool?

Asked by CanadaPostie2015 about 9 years ago

Hello CP2015, I'm not sure what POCs are but I'll guess and say those are the amt of possible deliveries you have each day which sounds like a lot to me. It isn't easy to work outside in the summer when the sun is pounding down on you. While I prefer the heat vs the extreme cold, the summer can be taxing on your body. I'd recommend wearing a wide-brimmed hat to keep the sun off your eyes, face, and neck. I also recommend drinking as much water as you can even before you get thirsty. It sweats off of you pretty quickly so the more you stay hydrated the better you should feel. In terms of actually burning, I suppose you could apply sunscreen liberally with an SPF of 40+. Stay safe and thanks for writing.

438 Votes

this morning I asked our letter carrier what was the last name of a neighbor. is that illegal to give out that info ??

Asked by John over 8 years ago

John, I would say it breaks a code of confidentiality that we are expected to maintain as letter carriers. We are rarely reminded of this but I'm pretty sure we shouldn't give out that information. As to whether it's illegal or not I can't comment on that. In the past I have given out little bits of information about some neighbors to others but it's rare and I shouldn't have done that. I do realize that some neighbors are friends with each other and others aren't. It's always better to be on the safe side as a letter carrier not to give out information about anyone else. One can't get in trouble that way. On another note, I rarely would comment to a customer as to what I'm delivering them when I see them. For example,I wouldn't say "your phone bill is here or looks like your wife was ordering from Kohl's again". As much as those comments may seem benign I try to be mostly professional when speaking with customers.

438 Votes

What does it mean when someone has had multiple previous addresses in a short time span? Recently did a background check on someone and came up showing this. Are they using false forwarding to avoid bill collectors? And if so should I report them?

Asked by DwB44 over 9 years ago

It's very possible that they are trying to "run" from unpaid bills or have a checkered past with regards to credit. I don't know how you could figure out if someone is doing a false forwarding. I've rarely come across it. If people move without changing their address with the USPS, that is also a sign they aren't interested in having their unpaid bills follow them. As far as reporting them, I don't know who you would report them to and what an agency or law enforcement dept would do if you did report them. What evidence do you have of them doing anything illegal?

438 Votes

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Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

What do you do if a dog is about to bite you?

Im waiting on mail from california. It has full address but apt doesn't exist. Will my mail carrier still have it or will it be at local post office? How long does mail usually takes if mailed from California Friday coming to Georgia?

I want to have a package sent through the mail but my mail carrier walks would he still deliver it or do I have to pick it up at the post office

Hello-
Recently I mailed a letter but right after discovered I forgot to put the address label on,but did have my own as return address. That was last week,mailed from another zip code,30 miles away. So how long should it take to mail it back to me?

Also on Jobstr...

i have 661 POC's in my route and I AM BURNING unde the scorching sun. do you have any tips to avoid getting burned and stay cool?

this morning I asked our letter carrier what was the last name of a neighbor. is that illegal to give out that info ??

What does it mean when someone has had multiple previous addresses in a short time span? Recently did a background check on someone and came up showing this. Are they using false forwarding to avoid bill collectors? And if so should I report them?

Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

What do you do if a dog is about to bite you?

Im waiting on mail from california. It has full address but apt doesn't exist. Will my mail carrier still have it or will it be at local post office? How long does mail usually takes if mailed from California Friday coming to Georgia?

I want to have a package sent through the mail but my mail carrier walks would he still deliver it or do I have to pick it up at the post office

Hello-Recently I mailed a letter but right after discovered I forgot to put the address label on,but did have my own as return address. That was last week,mailed from another zip code,30 miles away. So how long should it take to mail it back to me?

Also on Jobstr...

i have 661 POC's in my route and I AM BURNING unde the scorching sun. do you have any tips to avoid getting burned and stay cool?

this morning I asked our letter carrier what was the last name of a neighbor. is that illegal to give out that info ??

What does it mean when someone has had multiple previous addresses in a short time span? Recently did a background check on someone and came up showing this. Are they using false forwarding to avoid bill collectors? And if so should I report them?

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Hello-
Recently I mailed a letter but right after discovered I forgot to put the address label on,but did have my own as return address. That was last week,mailed from another zip code,30 miles away. So how long should it take to mail it back to me?