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 don't know for sure how it works in your town, but I hope it's similar to where I work. If somebody has a doorslot and would like me to mail a letter, they can leave the letter noticeably hanging out of the door slot and I would take it to be mailed. I admit it is a bit precarious as the letter could fall out before being picked up for delivery. Another option is to put a clothespin or other type of clip near the mail slot in your door and attach the outgoing letter so it will be very visible for the letter carrier to take as outgoing mail. You can't go wrong by finding a blue collection box or going to a Post Office, but I think you can be confident using the above mentioned methods. Thanks for your question.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20just%20moved%20into%20a%20new%20house%20in%20town.%20The%20mail%20is%20delivered%20through%20a%20slot%20in%20The%20front%20door.%20Is%20there%20a%20%22proper%22%20way%20for%20me%20to%20mail%20a%20letter%20with%20my%20local%20carrier%20from%20my%20house%20or%20do%20I%20have%20to%20take%20it%20to%20the%20post%20office%20or%20a%20mail%20box%3F%20Thank%20you&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/18613)
It depends on what other job/career options you may have and how they compare with the USPS. I have somewhat of a bias because I enjoy working here and it has been a great career. I do realize, however, that being a CCA isn't easy and it's a non-career position and only pays moderately to begin (currently $16.06/hr). Regarding the USPS financial situation, I don't think that should impact your choice. The USPS isn't going away anytime soon. While I'm sure it's losing plenty of $$ often there is still as much work as I can remember. There will likely be changes that happen years from now but I don't know what they'd look like. I've never seen a layoff or RIF since I've been employed by the USPS. Good luck to you Jerz whichever job/career path you choose.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Is%20becoming%20a%20cca%20a%20safe%20career%20choice%20with%20the%20post%20offices%20current%20financial%20situation%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/17600)
Barring any unforeseen delivery issues or delays, most First Class mail is delivered nationwide in 2-3 days. You would hopefully have it by Friday. A card is considered First Class mail and the current rate is .49 for up to 1 oz. Brittany, In my experience a very high percentage of mail arrives "on time" so I do hope this is the ask with the card sent to you. Thank you for your question.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=My%20boyfriend%20sent%20me%20a%20card%20in%20the%20mail%20on%20Tuesday%20when%20will%20I%20receive%20it%3F%20%20Is%20this%20considered%20first%20class%20mail&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/18453)
I don't think you'd get in trouble for that. The recipient may question why the mail and documents look water damaged but I don't know that they could pinpoint it was you who sent it in that condition. Mail is often wet when I deliver it in the rain. It's difficult during downpours to keep it dry and to be honest I don't try that hard to keep it completely dry. The bottom of my mail satchel gets wet very easily so when I carry mail in it the edge of the mail will often get wet. If the recipient has an issue with the condition their mail came in they may just ask you to resubmit the documents if that is possible. Thanks for the question and I hope I helped you.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=If%20I%20sent%20out%20documents%20and%20mail%20that%20got%20wet%2C%20will%20i%20get%20in%20trouble%2C%20and%20will%20anyone%20know%20it%20was%20me%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/18856)
Antiques Dealer
What's the most profit you've ever made from a single item?
Former IRS Revenue Officer
Are IRS auditors more accommodating when you're polite with them?
Toll Collector
What's the rudest thing a driver ever said to you?
Van, I'm sorry that I don't have any secret tips about casing quickly. By shadow day I guess that means you watch someone while they do their job. I admit when you first see a carrier case with so many addresses and then you have some so much mail to put in the case it is overwhelming. My advice is to not get distracted by outside music or your cellphone. Try to remember where a particular street is on the case. I've found that when you are put in front of a new carrier case it is intimidating, but the more you do it the easier it should become. Do not give up easily as you are just starting your job now at the USPS. I've found it to be a worthwhile career.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=2morrow%20is%20my%202nd%20shadow%20day%20as%20a%20rural%20carrier%20%26%20the%20next%20day%20I%27ll%20be%20on%20my%20own.%20How%20on%20earth%20will%20I%20ever%20be%20able%202%20case%20all%20the%20mail%20in%20a%20timely%20manner%3F%20600%2B%20boxes%20on%20the%20route%20and%20I%20am%20overwhelmed%20already.%20Do%20you%20have%20any%20tips%20on%20casing%20quickly%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/17848)
I don't know what the answer is to your question with respect to legality. Do you even know if the item was delivered by the USPS? There are several companies thar deliver Amazon packages in the area where I work. The new owner would make things a lot easier if they directly gave you the items. If the items are given back to the mail person, the packages may be sent back to Amazon or forwarded to your new address (possibly postage due). I am not sure what the USPS would do with it because consistency within our organization is poor in my opinion. I'm not sure who you could get involved with this to resolve this situation.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=My%20son%20ordered%20some%20items%20from%20amazon%20and%20forgot%20to%20change%20the%20address%20to%20our%20new%20address.%20We%20just%20moved%20out%20of%20our%20house%20on%20June%2030th.%20The%20new%20owner%20refuses%20to%20give%20it%20directly%20to%20me%20and%20says%20legally%20he%20has%20to%20give%20it%20only%20to%20the%20mail%20person.%20True%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/18884)
Congratulations and good luck to you in your postal career. I'm glad you love it so far. Despite some personal hurdles I've had along the way, I absolutely love it most days and feel very fortunate to have this career. I don't know Powerade but I'm assuming it's an energy drink. I see Gatorade is the main competitor. The main criticism of those types of drinks is the high sugar content. My advice (with no scientific background) is to just drink 1-2 day at most and then hydrate with water. I mostly d non-sugar naturally flavored sparkling water beverages. I drink it quite a bit on hot days and it seems to help so much. I've avoided the Powerade type drinks mainly because I don't want to ingest so much sugar that could hurt my teeth and body. Moderation is my advice. Thanks for writing.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20have%20been%20a%20CCA%20for%2060%20days%20now.%20I%20love%20the%20job.%20What%20do%20you%20recommend%20for%20me%20to%20keep%20myself%20hydrated%20during%20the%20summer%20when%20it%27s%20hot.%20I%27ve%20been%20drinking%20Powerade%20but%20I%27ve%20read%20drinking%20too%20many%20of%20those%20aren%27t%20good%20for%20you.&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/18889)
-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
