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.
Interesting Q. I don’t see why not. The coconuts mailed from Hawaii are popular I think and they aren’t packaged. You’d probably need the first class parcel rate. The best answer would be from your local post office. I can’t say I see non-packages items mailed often but I don’t know a rule that it has to be boxed in anyway. The important things are sufficient postage and a legible address and not a prohibited item.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Can%20you%20send%20a%20wooden%20%20spoon%20with%20the%20address%20burn%20into%20it%20and%20the%20message%20on%20the%20back%20without%20having%20to%20mess%20with%20package.%20With%20a%20spot%20left%20for%20the%20stamp%20or%20stamps%3F%20It%20would%20be%20USA%20to%20USA.%0AAsking%20from%20AL.&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/19356)
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)
Martha, I have no knowledge in the field of hiring and retests for when one fails an LLV test. Since you are applying for a different position at a different location, it's possible they let you retake the exam, but I'm just guessing.
I have no idea about the internal communications of USPS HR and if one dept or location would even know about the other. I'm guessing with the internal HR technology that they might share information about your past applications to the USPS but have no idea what impact that would have for your future hiring prospects. It is very important to learn how to drive the LLV safely and responsibly. I hope you get to take the exam again because I found that once you learn how to operate an LLV safely it becomes second nature even though the steering wheel is on the right side of the vehicle.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Hi%2C%20I%20recently%20failed%20the%20LLV%20test%20for%20RCA%20and%20I%20asked%20if%20I%20can%20retake%20the%20test%20again%20but%20their%20answer%20is%20their%20are%20not%20sure.%20I%20was%20told%20I%20was%20ineligible%20for%20that%20position.%20I%20interviewed%20for%20CCA%20will%20I%20be%20able%20to%20retake%20it%20since%20it%27s%20diff%20location.&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/18080)
I've never worked in an urban environment to deliver mail so I can't speak from experience. While it's true you may not have the advertising circulars that you deliver so much of in the suburbs you could have a larger route even though the mail volume per house is lower. Some cities have routes where you use a pushcart and don't have a vehicle to seek shelter in when the weather gets very bad. Is it possible the streets are crowded so it's not always easy to find parking for your postal vehicle if you even have one? Please also consider that you will likely lose your bidding seniority if you switch offices. This may not be important to you of haven't been at the USPS very long. Living closer to work may be a valid convenience for transferring. I'm quite happy working in the suberbs. The neighborhood where my route is can be pretty quiet at times which is what I enjoy. There are probably pros and cons to each work environment and if I was originally hired to work in a more urban environment I may have been fine with that. The decision you make is personal. I hope you feel you make the right move whichever action you choose to (or not to) make.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Is%20it%20better%20being%20a%20mailman%20in%20the%20city%20or%20in%20the%20suburbs.%20Currently%20I%20work%20in%20the%20suburbs%20and%20I%27m%20thinking%20about%20transferring%20to%20the%20city%20since%20they%20dont%20get%20advertisements%20and%20it%20is%20closer%20to%20me&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/18850)
Suicide Hotline Manager
Has anyone killed themselves during a call?
Special Education Teacher
Does it bother you when people use the R-word?
Firefighter
What kind of shape do firefighters need to be in?
Sarah, if you live on a rural route I believe that is part of their job but not sure. If you have city delivery (which is the type of delivery I do) there is generally no obligation of the letter carrier to accept the package and money and mail it for you. Most people now with access to the internet and printer can print out their own postage label to be put onto a parcel and then given to a letter carrier (who should take the package) for mailing. The program used to be called Click 'N Ship. It is rare that a customer ever asks me to mail a non-prepaid parcel for them. I would say no almost all of the time because I'd have to then mail the package on my own time and don't want to get into a habit of doing that. The bottom line is that you certainly can ask your letter carrier to mail the package for you but not sure what the response will be. Thank you for your question.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Can%20I%20give%20my%20mailman.%20My%20package%20and%20money%20to%20mail%20my%20package&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/18716)
I don't know anything about getting OIG to investigate anything for the USPS. I think they may have a tip hotline that can be called but I don't know if they will place your tip on any high priority. I would call that carrier a sleazeball for not delivering anything that should be. It is illegal plus the only reason our job exists is because items are being paid for that we should deliver. I have the impression that so many employees (including management) don't care at all about proper delivery of mail and what gets discarded or has the proper postage. There is so little oversight as to what we do on a daily basis unless we do something egregious or work unsafely. I'm sorry to be so negative. It's important to me that every piece of mail that is properly addressed is delivered, no matter if it's a catalog, weekly supermarket flier, or birthday card. It's all mail and should be handled accordingly.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=How%20do%20you%20get%20the%20USPS%20OIG%20to%20investigate%3F%20A%20carrier%20tech%20never%20delivers%20catalogs.%20I%20have%20tested%20and%20confirmed%20they%20did%20not%20deliver%20at%20least%2012%20over%202%20years.%20All%20other%20carriers%20have%20passed%20my%20tests%20100%25.%20This%20one%20fails%20100%25.%20USPS%20OIG%20does%20nothing.&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/18212)
Deee, I don’t know the answer to this question. On the NALC website there is a CCA resource guide. In a section I looked at it didn’t seem to mention anything about the number of consecutive days you could be scheduled to work. We have several CCA in our office and I’m pretty sure they try to give them off one day per week, but I don’t know if it’s mandated or not. During the busy time they may work more than 7 days/week. If you have a shop steward that you could contact they may have the proper answer for you.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Is%20it%20legal%20for%20a%20CCA%20to%20unwillingly%20work%207%20or%20more%20consecutive%20days%3F%20Either%20during%20December%20%28the%20Holiday%20season%29%20or%20during%20months%20not%20December.&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/19298)
-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
