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.
Jessica, it depends who you ask or are dealing with regards to who is emptying the locked box. If I personally knew you or you could show me some ID if I didn't know you, I'd gladly return the letter if I could easily find it. Sometimes there are hundreds of letters in the blue collection boxes and the carrier who is collecting the mail from that box may or may not have the time, patience, or personality to return your letter to you. It may be worthwhile to just send another envelope with a check in it if you can't retrieve the letter you accidentally put into the collection box without the check. I've never been told that I'm not allowed to return a letter once it is placed in a collection box, but, then again, our training and procedural enforcement is quite poor so that's why the lack of uniformity across the USPS. Thank you for writing.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=After%20I%20put%20my%20mail%20in%20a%20lock%20box%20and%20I%20decide%20I%20want%20my%20mail%20back%20%28forgot%20to%20put%20a%20check%20in%20a%20letter%29%2C%20can%20the%20mail%20carrier%20give%20it%20back%20to%20me%20or%20not%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/18010)
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)
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)
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)
Federal Lobbyist
What was the strangest lobbying request you've ever received?
Sr. Software Engineer
Are those $12,000 "learn to program" bootcamps a rip-off?
Pharmaceutical Researcher
Will we see a cure for cancer in this lifetime?
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)
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)
-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
