Ask a Mailman (City Letter Carrier) anything

1237 Questions

Last Answer on February 18, 2022

But it’s important

Asked by RED ALERT almost 6 years ago

How is it important to the Letter Carrier blog?

Have you ever found a snake or something like that in a mail box?

Asked by 777 over 6 years ago

I’ve never found any odd animal inside a mailbox. In the area I deliver, I don’t think there are snakes in the wild. The main thing we’d need to be careful about are wasps or bees and I don’t see them around he mailboxes too often.

289 Votes

What’s your IQ

Asked by Big Jim almost 6 years ago

I have no idea but consider myself intelligent.

287 Votes

When delivering to a business do you bring the mail inside or put it in the mail box. My family has a business with a mail slot in the door and if the place is open they bring it inside usually

Asked by FH over 6 years ago

FH, thanks for your question. I’ll start by saying your mileage may vary. I don’t know if there is a correct procedure as to how to handle mail delivery to a business which is sometimes open and sometimes closed. I would usually go inside to deliver the mail and ask if there is any outgoing mail if a receptionist or other personnel are available. I mostly deliver to residences so I don’t have a lot of experience in this situation. It’s possible that the business owner has an exterior mailbox and prefers or doesn’t mind if the mail is left in the mailbox whether or not the business is open. I suppose a carrier who delivers to the same business daily knows what is preferred but there are often substitutes delivering the mail so if there are no instructions left for that substitute and no sign on the mailbox saying “please come inside if the office is open” then I’m not sure what that letter carrier would do. We are often told so little how to do certain procedures which is why i almost always put in the disclaimer of “your mileage may vary”.

287 Votes

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How do you get into gated neighborhoods especially because you couldn't reach the keypad because you're on the other side

Asked by Rick over 6 years ago

I am not sure about this as I’ve never encountered this situation. I would think that you would just get out of the vehicle (making sure to shut the engine when you do so as per USPS procedures), walk around to the keypad and enter the code to open the gate, return to the driver side of the vehicle, start the engine, and drive through the gate. The issue you may be thinking about is if the gate remains open long enough for the postal vehicle to drive through. I don’t know the answer to this. I deliver to a couple of gated neighborhoods on occasion, but they are usually staffed by a person or could go up automatically without a code.

286 Votes

Do peopleReally send the bombs to people via mail?!

Asked by Jane Stew about 6 years ago

It is very unlikely someone would mail a bomb, but Im sure it has happened. Recently, a man sent quite a few inactive devices that looked like explosives ito famous people or politicians. I’m sure that there have been some explosives detonated at their destination or possibly before, but I don’t know the details. We are sometimes told to be on the lookout for suspicious packages, but, to be honest, it’s never really on my mind. Keep in mind I tend to look through rose-colored glasses and think that kind of thing doesn’t happen here.

282 Votes

Is USPS better then private shipping companies?

Asked by Jimmy almost 6 years ago

Not really. If you are referring to FedEx or UPS, they have a very good reputation for quality work and they are profit driven so their management is under pressure to get things correct. I also think that they have better technology. The flipside to that is that they are sometimes more expensive and do not go to every address in the USA. I think USPS does a very good job in delivery but we employ too much “dead weight” and people not caring about quality work. Of course, those other companies may have the same issues, but I think their employees are on a shorter leash if they make too many errors. I am proud to work for USPS and what I do, but don’t think we are better than the major alternatives.

276 Votes