Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

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.

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Last Answer on February 18, 2022

Best Rated

I picked up a 6 inch by 9.25 inch bubble mailer at the store. Do mail carriers pick these up (if I put stamps on it) or do I have to bring it to a USPS store? Is it dependent on the weight or label? Thanks!

Asked by Longlivekingrichard@aol.com almost 13 years ago

If the item weighs 13oz. or less, your letter carrier should pick this up if you have put the proper postage on it and used stamps only. You can determine the proper postage by using the postage calculator at www.usps.com. If you use electronic postage such as click 'n ship or postage via eBay, PayPal, or amazon (for example) the 13 oz. rule doesn't apply and your letter carrier should take it regardless of weight. If the item weighs more than 13 oz. and contains only stamps it would have to be brought to a PO and presented directly to  a postal worker to be mailed. 

1116 Votes

Customers are used to getting mail at the same time everyday. Today there was more mail to sort/deliver, so you are later than usual in making deliveries. A customer is angry because he has been waiting for a cheque, how do you address the situation?

Asked by zoom over 11 years ago

I don't come across that situation very often. It is true that on many routes the mail is delivered at approximately the same time daily. There is no actual "on time" for mail to be delivered during the day. We just have an end of day deadline to meet for finishing out route and a prescribed order to deliver the mail.  Like you said, some days the mail volume is higher (or our staffing levels are lower) which may result in a later delivery time. I would address the situation by explaining the above to the customer. I never get angry back and always remain calm. Nowadays so many financial transactions can be done electronically that I don't believe I deliver too many checks and trend will only likely continue. I appreciate the question. 

1115 Votes

Do you have a legal obligation to return mail if it has your address, but your neighbors name? Even if said neighbors are aware they are using incorrect address, but continue to do so anyway. This includes bills, special order packages.

Asked by fed up almost 12 years ago

I can't cite any legal regulations here due to my lack of knowledge on this subject. I would recommend that you return any mail that comes to your address with their name or give it to them directly. It sounds to me that you don't want to do either of those suggestions. Technically, I can't see where you are wrong in keeping or discarding the mail/packages you are referring to but I believe it is morally wrong to keep these items and not return them or give them to your neighbor.  If you don't have a good relationship with this neighbor, you could just put the mail back in your mailbox or a blue USPS collection box and write on the mail "person doesn't live at this address." Again, in my opinion, the choice is yours what you do with this mail. Thanks for writing. 

1114 Votes

How do you handle dogs

Asked by JTDN almost 13 years ago

We all carry Dog repellent spray with us. This can be used if we feel threatened or about to be attacked by a dog. Most dog owners where I deliver mail are responsible so it's not usually a problem. We are allowed to skip or suspend delivery of mail to an address if a dog is a persistent problem. Fortunately my issues with dogs delivering mail have been few and far between. Good question!

1114 Votes

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After 13 years of doing the job does your body hurt? Do you have any job related injury due to the constant strain of your job such as casing mail or carrying your mail. If so does your work cover this if its not a specific event?

Asked by Dustin over 12 years ago

Dustin, Fortunately my body doesn't hurt due to the strain on the body and the repetitive motions on the job. There are quite a few co-workers who have hip, back, and foot pain. A couple of carriers have had joint replacement and returned to full duty, maybe a bit slower, but back at work. I don't think there is coverage for long-term illnesses if it is not specific. If the injury got to be so bad that you couldn't perform the job for more than 1-year you could apply for a disability retirement. Work, doesn't cover any short term disability. That is one reason you get 13 days of sick leaver per year. 

1114 Votes

Another question. As CCA, I got a residntl RT with half the mailboxes at the front door and half on pedestals in the landscaping. My avg is 2min 30sec per home for first or second time on RT. Is this too slow? Should it be 2min or 1min45sec?

Asked by GS94087 over 12 years ago

The rate does seem a bit slow for a residential walking route. I don't know what the rate should be, except I could probably deliver at a rate of 1 house per minute or less. But you being a newer carrier you understandably would go slower than that. 

1112 Votes

Can you recommend particular shoes and snow boots for letter carriers?

Asked by jc about 12 years ago

I don't have any specific recommendations with regards to brands to purchase fro regular shoes. The shoes that are purchased with the uniform allowance have to bear the SR/USA tag which I believe stands for Slip Resistant/United States of America. I just make sure that I have footwear that will keep my feet dry and warm in inclement weather. If it snows, I wear my regular workshoes but have high rubber slip resistant waterproof boots. The brand of those are Tingley Weather-Tuff Stretch high-top 10"boots, or the Weather-Tuff Stretch Rubber Overshoes (which is good for rain, but not more than a couple of inches of snow to walk through). Thank you for your question as good footwear is vital to making it through a workday comfortably.

1111 Votes

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