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.
I’m not sure what the hardest part of the job js. Most challenges are surmountable. I like most aspects of being a letter carrier. I would say working in the snow or dark is the most difficult part to do. If one has the proper cold weather gear and lighting for working in the dark, these challenges are much more manageable. Most of the time I’m able to work during daylight hours but in the fall/winter the sun may set at 1700 which could easily result in us working in the dark. Our vehicles perform quite poorly in the snow so it is sometimes hard to safely drive them. Dealing with a difficult supervisor or manager is sometimes hard as well. They are known to be unreasonable at times in their requests for being on time. That ebbs and flows. Sometimes there are weeks of “civility” followed by several days of nastiness and what feels like disparate treatment. Most of the time I let in roll of my back and don’t escalate a situation. In general, I am very organized so delivering mail is quite an easy job and goes somewhat smoothly on a daily basis.
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As far as scanning the flats and letters, this is a sampling request andthe Postal Service tracks how long it takes for mail to get from origin to destination by sampling some deliveries. At least I believe that is the case. I am not sure of the procedure if a house is on hold or vacant. What I usually do is say that it is a valid address for that day but I type no more to scan. The mgmt has never advised us what to do nor have I asked. The only thing they ever bring up is if we completely ignore a sampling request.
I like the new scanners but I know everyone has a difference of opinion. They work so quickly and I think they pick up many barcodes more easily.
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He has normalized lying and not taking responsibility for anything he may have done wrong. He spread so many lies about the 2020 Presidential election being stolen from him when they couldn’t be further from the truth. He incited a riot which was disrupting a peaceful transfer of power.
When he was first elected in 2016, I said let’s give him a chance. I quickly realized he was all about himself and didn’t care much for the common man. He also mishandled the pandemic response in 2020 showing awful leadership when hundreds of thousands of Americans died.
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Not to my knowledge. I don’t know what the correct procedure is for parcel delivery in multi-unit buildings. I live in a similar sized apt bldng with no doorman to accept parcels and no parcel lockers. The letter carrier usually will leave the parcels near each unit door or in the lobby of the bldng or near the mailboxes. Package theft in our bldng hasn’t been a huge issue, but has occurred occasionally. If package theft is an issue, I believe the letter carrier will attempt delivery but then leave a notice that delivery was attempted and nobody was home to securely receive an item. At this point, a resident may sign the notice for redelivery or retrieve the package at a nearby PO as stated on the PS Form 3849. Package lockers are a great convenience but I know of no requirement that a landlord install them. Thank you for your question.
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If an item needs a signature (usually it’s a certified letter or registered mail), I knock on the door to obtain the signature of the resident if they want to accept the item. If they aren’t home or don’t want to come to the door, I leave a PS Form 3849 (Notice Of Attempted Delivery) which advises the customer that we had an item that may have needed a signature and the form gives them options to either pick up the item at a specific PO or they can request a redelivery. During the Covid19 pandemic, the procedure has changed slightly. As long as the customer is home and acknowledges that they want to “sign” for the item, we can print their name on the electronic scanner that they usually sign. This eliminates them from having to get too close to you or to touch the scanner. It seems to have worked well so far. Stay safe and thank you for your question.
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Maybe I have a boring existence or work in a pretty quiet area but I have never had that scenario ever happened to me whatsoever. The closest thing I’ve ever seen (which I was not impressed by) is an older man who likes to walk around the house in his underwear. He is creepy to begin with and I try not to have much of a conversation with him anyway. I don’t know what I’d do if that scenario presented itself. I could just carry in with business as usual. Seeing someone naked doesn’t totally phase me as I’ve seen topless women on beaches or even in NY City or San Francisco. I do feel it is inappropriate for someone to come to the door naked but I probably would not make a big deal of it.
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i haven’t heard of those stories and I believe they are few and far between. Also, I have no idea how people could get their hands on ballots and what they would actually do with them. I believe many absentee ballots need to be signed by the voter. The signature would then be (in theory) be matched against the signature on file for when the voter registered. I have full faith in the USPS role in voting by mail. There is about one month to go before the 2020 general election. It’s a bit early of course but I haven’t heard of too many major issues. The GOP, specifically President Trump, is trying to fan the flames of doubt for mail-in ballots. It is a false narrative. Voter fraud in general is rare. Multiple independent research has indicated this.
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