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.

SubscribeGet emails when new questions are answered. Ask Me Anything!Show Bio +

Share:

Ask me anything!

Submit Your Question

1237 Questions

Share:

Last Answer on February 18, 2022

Best Rated

Hello, Can you tell me what happens when a first class mail parcel goes missing and it was never scanned by the mail carrier does the mail carrier have to pay out of their own pocket?

Asked by anon over 11 years ago

I don't think there is any penalty for the letter carrier to pay anything out of pocket. I've never heard of this happening with respect to a First Class Mail Parcel going missing. It is usually hard to prove that a mail carrier actually had possession of the parcel and then didn't deliver it. I know the scans are meant for tracking an item but it may not prove internally who had possession of the parcel. This is different from a registered or certified item which we sign for when we take possession of them. The item could go missing anywhere along in the mail stream. I suppose if one particular mail carrier had several complaints that parcels on their route were missing it would raise some eyebrows and there would need to be an investigation as to the rate of missing parcels. I've never heard of it happening where I work, but I'm sure there are some letter carriers who aren't very honest. I still don't know how one could get away with taking multiple parcels without being caught. Then again, I don't have that kind of mindset so I'm a bit naive when it comes to this subject.

1129 Votes

I have a garage door mail drop but the postal carrier always leaves mail hanging out of it. There are mail thieves in the area. I tried calling the PO to complain but they won't answer. What kind of note can I leave for the carrier that will help?

Asked by Cam almost 13 years ago

You bring up a valid concern in my opinion. I'm sorry that you have had no luck calling your local PO. my suggestion would be to put a small note near the mail slot saying "please push all mail completely through garage door slot. Thank you." I hope that helps. You can also mention it to your letter carrier if you ever see them in person. 

1129 Votes

I think I put an unopened letter that was already delivered to me in a post office mailbox by mistake. What's going to happen to it? Will it come back to me, go to the sender or what? Thank you.

Asked by Miles almost 13 years ago

I think it's likely to just come back to you a day or 2 later since it was unopened and didn't say "unknown" or "return to sender". I hope you get back your unopened piece of mail.

1129 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!

1128 Votes

Also on Jobstr...

Audiologist

AudiologistHow come people with hearing aids still can't seem to hear?

Movie Theater Employee

Movie Theater EmployeeWhy is movie theater food so overpriced?

Beauty Queen

Beauty QueenIs there truth to the stereotypes of “pageant parents?”

Is it possible to tell the location of the mailbox where a letter was mailed from?

Asked by pookiebear almost 13 years ago

Your q came in twice so I deleted the second one. I don't know that you can tell which mailbox a letter was sent from. When a carrier picks up letters from the blue collection boxes or from a residence, they commingle those letters with all of the others thatb have been picked up and generally get sent to a mail processing for sorting.

1128 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 almost 13 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. 

1128 Votes

What are the nationwide regulations for resIdential mailboxes?

Asked by chertz over 12 years ago

I don't know what the regulations are for attaching a mailbox to your house. Does your letter carrier walk to your door to deliver the mail? If that is the case, the mailbox must be accessible in a safe area for the carrier to reach the mailbox. If you live in an area where the delivery is made to a curbside mailbox there are regulations for how tall the mailbox must be from the ground plus there must be clearance on either side of the box so that the postal vehicle can get in and out of the area without having to put the vehicle in reverse too much. 

1127 Votes

Home Browse Jobs Host a Q&A Search Blog FAQ Terms Contact

Copyright Jobstr 2014