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.
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)
JC, I'm so glad you had a great experience with your letter carrier today. Too often I hear of the opposite happening. I don't know exactly how you'd leave feedback for your letter carrier, but I have 2 suggestions. First, you could go to www.usps.com and look for info on how to contact the USPS. It may just be a general call center but hopefully they'll give you the number or some way to contact your local PO. Another option is to write a letter (I know it's not too common these days) to your local PO, attention: Delivery Supervisor or Postmaster giving praise to your letter carrier and describing what she did to go above and beyond. You don't necessarily need the street address for the PO, just the correct ZIP code for your PO. Using the USPS mobile app or the website you can find the address of your local PO. Thanks for taking the time to give positive feedback.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Is%20there%20a%20place%20for%20me%20to%20leave%20feedback%20for%20my%20mailman%3F%20%20She%20is%20awesome%20and%20went%20%22above%20and%20beyond%22%20for%20me%20today.%20%20I%27d%20like%20her%20superiors%20to%20know.&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/18121)
It seems I’m now a personal advice column. It doesn’t bother me but if you knew me, I’m probably the last person to ask about relationship advice. I’m not sure what advice to give that you don’t already know. I believe you have his text number or other way of messaging him. If you read this question I can’t tell who is older. That shouldn’t matter. Basically if you like him and he says he likes you and you’re not too worried about his girlfriend, (not that you need be) then it’s worth pursuing him for a date perhaps. It’s possible though that the relationship could get complicated if he stays with his girlfriend but has a relationship with you at the same time. I think as long as you acknowledge the pitfalls of this and could deal with potential conflict or disappointment (not that I wish that upon you), then go for it.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20see%20that%20I%20was%20saying%20wife%2C%20I%20mean%20girlfriend.%20Thats%20what%20he%20told%20me%2C%20so%20ok%20from%20what%20ive%20told%20you%20so%20far%20what%20is%20your%20opinion%3F%20Not%20just%20as%20a%20mailman%20but%20as%20a%20man.%20Hes%20also%2010%20yrs%20younger%20than%20me%20I%27m%2033%20hes%2043%3F%20Yes%20if%20you%20cant%20tell%20I%20like%20him%21%20LOL&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/19363)
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)
Swim Instructor
What are the physical traits that make for the "ideal swimmer's body"?
Couples Therapist
Does a therapist aim to "fix" the client, or just treat the client indefinitely?
Bodybuilder
What kind of “primping” is required for competitions?
I don't know the answer to this. Most of the time we deliver all of the mail each day that is in our building unless we get backed up with volume or are short on staffing. This may not be the case in the office that delivers your mail. If there is a merchant that you want to go to with a coupon but it arrived late, you could ask the merchant to honor the offer or the business could contact the post office to inquire why their mailing was delivered late. I'm just speculating, but I would think any 3rd Class Mail (the new official term for this will be USPS Marketing Mail) should be delivered within a few days of it being received at the Post Office. Having answered many questions on jobstr, I can see that service consistency varies greatly from office to office and even among the letter carriers in that office.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=My%20wife%20and%20I%20have%20recently%20had%20a%20new%20mail%20carrier%20who%20does%20not%20deliver%20our%203rd%20class%20mail%20on%20time%2C%20so%20we%20are%20losing%20out%20on%20some%20coupons%20we%20consider%20valuable.%20%20Is%20there%20anything%20we%20can%20do%20besides%20filing%20a%20complaint%20with%20our%20postmaster%20%3F%20%20Please%20help&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/17915)
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)
It does sound pretty bad that the office restroom smells from this letter carrier. Could you put a can of air freshener in there to be used? If it was just an odor, I may actually defend what the carrier is doing because it’s a bodily function that we all do. I think that the fact that he is inconsiderate and makes a mess, it’s understandable that you don’t want him to use the restroom. You are certainly alllowed to request that he not use the restroom but it may be a bit of an awkward situation. We have no right to use any private bathrooms even though most offices do extend us the courtesy.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=A%20letter%20carrier%20uses%20my%20office%20restroom%20daily%2C%20slamming%20the%20seat%2C%20making%20a%20mess%2C%20and%20leaving%20it%20odorous%20in%20a%20poorly%20vented%20building.%20Lots%20of%20public%20restrooms%20in%20the%20area..can%20I%20ask%20him%20to%20stop%3F%20I%20pay%20rent%20and%20see%20counseling%20clients%20all%20day&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/19175)
-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
