Ask a Mailman (City Letter Carrier) anything

1237 Questions

Last Answer on February 18, 2022

Is USPS better then private shipping companies?

Asked by Jimmy over 5 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.

220 Votes

Do all the young dudes carry the news?

Asked by Darren over 5 years ago

I thought this was the Beatles, but then I looked it up on the Internet and see if it was David Bowie.

220 Votes

What do you think of this?
https://youtu.be/dplvOCL2N54

Asked by Dan over 5 years ago

Dan, I watched the video and it was pretty well done.i don’t know if it’s your video or you are just referencing it. It keeps referring to the postal inspecting service but it is the postal inspection service. They are somewhat thinly staffed so I don’t know how much they will investigate this particular case but I know what you talk about and it is definitely an issue. The same thing sometimes happens in my office where if some Amazon parcels happen to not get delivered there is a scan that is put on such as “no access” or business closed” that will “stop the clock”. It definitely is a false event scan if we just happened to forget the package at our office or forget to deliver it and it would be too far to go back and deliver it. I have no idea what the financial agreement is between the United States Postal Service and Amazon but we try to make sure each package that we get every day from Amazon is delivered that same day. The quality and quantity of the employees at each office varies greatly. I take a lot of pride in my work so I try to make sure each package is delivered each day for my postal route. There is definitely a falsification of scans where it says delivery has been “attempted” and it really hasn’t. I don’t know the solution to it except more public outcry and exposure. I will not be a whistleblower, however, because I would be concerned any retaliation for this. I don’t believe I’ve ever falsified and Amazon delivery scan.

220 Votes

What do the strobe lights on the top of some of the trucks mean

Asked by Fjfjfjjdkd over 5 years ago

I think it’s just a general caution strobe that means this truck may make many starts and stops and it may be slow moving. I think it’s similar to hazard flashers.

219 Votes

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How did you get thousands of questions and other forms got a couple hundred if even that???

Asked by I am over 5 years ago

I don’t know how I get so many questions. My job isn’t that exciting, but my theory is that some questions have more to do with customer service issues versus my actual performance of the jon. I’m glad to answer many questions but always caution that they are out of my area of expertise and it seems there is so little consistency throughout the USPS. I occupy a miniscule part of the postal world. I also try to respond within a couple of days to each question so maybe that leads to others who have questions that i will give a prompt response. Thanks for what I think was a compliment.

215 Votes

What do you do if your doing your mail route and a Tornado warning is issued?

Asked by Yancey over 5 years ago

I don’t live or work in an area with tornado warnings or sirens. I imagine if there was one or a severe thunderstorm, I’d seek shelter somewhere. The vehicle I use for work would be fine if there were a thunderstorm. If there were a tornado I do not believe the vehicle would be a safe place to be. Maybe I would go see if I could find a house and get down low but I’m not really sure of the right procedure because I’ve never been involved in an area subject to tornadoes. They are rare in the northeastern US where I work.

213 Votes

Have you ever found a suspicious package that you had to turn into the police?

Asked by Jane about 5 years ago

Fortunately, no. The only thing I’ve ever seen in my office was a package that may have smelled like marijuana. I don’t know what ever became of it. We are trained to be on the lookout for suspicious packages.

213 Votes