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.
Most letter carriers wear a USPS-funded and approved uniforms. After a few months of employment, we are given an annual allowance to buy uniforms which includes outerwear, footwear, and other accessories. If you are a rural carrier or a newer carrier, you may wear your own clothes. If you did a web search for USPS City Letter Carrier uniforms and clicked on "images", it should give you a good idea of what a uniform looks like.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=what%20does%20a%20mailman%20wear%0A%2Cjkl%3B%27hi%3Bihlp%27uiop%27ypy&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/18071)
In my opinion you can ask a letter carrier anything you want but you may get a whole variety of replies that run the gamut from helpful to not being interested. I don't know any rules on what they can and can't help you with but the letter carrier should always protect the confidentiality of the customer and any mail they receive. That is pretty sacred. To give you a personal answer, nobody has ever approached me about getting leads about anything except maybe real estate agents. To be fair, I wouldn't be interested in helping anybody get potential leads for anything. I feel it is entirely unprofessional to do. A real estate agent may say to me I'll give you a referral commission if I know of anybody selling their house. I may accept their business card but not do anything else. To sum up, I don't know what you can and can't ask a letter carrier, but I feel it's unprofessional and possibly unethical to assist salespeople working in the area.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=What%20draws%20the%20line%20with%20that%20I%20can%20and%20can%27t%20ask%20the%20mail-carrier%3F%20%20More%20specifically%2C%20%20I%20wanted%20to%20ask%20them%20about%20potential%20lawn-care%20leads%20on%20their%20route.%20Im%20a%20college%20student%20starting%20small-time%20gig%20in%20a%20competitive%20market.Is%20this%20Exploitation%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/17503)
It has been many years since I've had orientation so I can't tell you exactly what it's about. If I remember correctly, it was 3 days long (usually not at the office where you will be a CCA) which included a carrier academy where you "practice" sorted some mail and learn a lot about working safely including how to avoid dog confrontations. You also learn about the different classes of mail and how to forward mail and how to handle express mail and certified mail. Once you report to an office you may be assigned a trainer who may take you around for 3 days with them to deliver a route. Also please remember that as a CCA you may be required to work Sundays and Holidays to deliver Amazon parcels if your office/area participates in that program. You really need to be flexible in the number of hours and which hours you will be asked to work. Thanks for your questions and keep them coming if you think of anything else. Please remember that I'm just basing these answers at my experience at my Post Office. As they say online, YMMV (your mileage may vary).
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Hey%20MailmanDave%21%20I%27m%20back%20again%2C%20yes%20I%20am%20full%20of%20questions...%20Do%20you%20know%20what%20Orientation%20is%20like%3F%20What%20happens%3F%20Also%2C%20curious%20about%20the%20next%20step%20after%20orientation.&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/17368)
Okay, I believe it. The contract is only as good as the mgmt and the workforce and shop stewards agree to enforce it. I see things that happen in my office which may not be the correct thing if the contract were followed to the letter, but they seem like rational solutions. It's a tricky balance in our office due to chronic short staffing and incompetence of both supervisors and coworkers. Some workers are very dedicated and do the job well. They don't need to be superstars. Others seem to purposefully work against the system and try to make everything as difficult and slow and crappy as possible. They often tend to the loudest, least mature, and least educated.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Welcome%20to%20Massapequa%2C%20anything%20goes%2C%20leave%20it%20at%20that&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16390)
Social Network Security Manager
Can you describe the average Internet troll?
Obstetrician Gynecologist
If a baby has health complications resulting from a difficult delivery, do you ever feel guilty?
Sushi Chef
How do sushi chefs tell when a fish has gone bad? Is it just the smell?
If a neighborhood has cluster boxes, it's usually a group of 6-30 addresses per cluster box. I actually made up that number. Where I deliver to cluster boxes, they range from 4-16 addresses per cluster box. As the letter carrier, I have a key which opens up the cluster box fully and then i can sort all of the mail for those addresses at one time. The boxes are usually well labeled inside (with the cluster panel open) to know where to put the mail. It's important for the letter carrier to know whether to put the mail either above or below the address if the slots are stacked vertically. I have seen my fellow letter carriers, and I'm sure myself make errors in deliveries to cluster boxes. I also live in an apartment building where mail is delivered into cluster boxes near the elevators. It can get more tedious than walking from door to door delivering mail but it is more efficient to deliver mail to cluster box units.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%27m%20a%20nighborhood%20with%20mail%20box%20clusters%20how%20do%20you%20know%20what%20slot%20to%20put%20the%20mail%20on&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16970)
They do make a difference. By affixing a Priority Mail sticker, you are required to pay the Priority Mail rate which can be much higher than the standard parcel post rate or what I think is called retail ground. Priority Mail is given excellent treatment as far as how it is transported from origin to destination and there is a very high likelihood that the item will be delivered within 1-3 days of mailing depending on the destination. If the sticker is affixed to an item but there isn't sufficient postage to cover the Priority Mail rate, the parcel will be either returned to the sender for being "short paid" or an attempt to collect the underpayment from the recipient as "postage due".
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20have%20Priority%20Mail%20stickers%20I%20can%20affix%20to%20the%20outside%20of%20packaging.%20Do%20they%20make%20any%20difference%20in%20how%20the%20parcel%20is%20processed%20or%20handled%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/18633)
During the winter I wear whatever brand clothing makes the USPS uniforms that I purchased. We have only a few choices about the brand of clothing we buy from authorized uniform vendors. I wear whatever will keep me warm and dry from head to toe. I've found that it's best to dress in layers and bring more warm clothes than you may need so you're not caught outside freezing or wet.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=What%20brand%20winter.%20It%27s%20do%20you%20wear%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/17598)
-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
