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

What can I do about a mailman who consistently keeps putting my mail and small packages in other people's mailbox? I have tracking numbers from packages saying they've been delivered and never got anything same with important documents and bills.

Asked by steph over 11 years ago

Unfortunately this has been a problem for many years. It is usually the result of not having the same letter carrier deliver to your address each day. There is a lot of turnover in some offices which could result in a varying quality of letter carriers. It could also be the result of a letter carrier not doing their job very well. I had lunch today with a man who said he was having the same issue. The only suggestion I would have is calling your local PO and speaking with a delivery supervisor or mentioning it to the letter carrier who services your house (if it is actually the same person each day). I'm not sure it will do any good as some workers/supervisors don't care and some are very conscientious. I think it depends on who you are dealing with. Please make sure all of your mail is addressed correctly and that your mailbox is labeled clearly with your house/unit#. No matter who you are dealing with, you really should be getting the correct mail/packages. In my office, I hear no emphasis on delivering the mail correctly. Maybe it's just assumed we do and mgmt. will wait to hear a complaint to bring it up.

1062 Votes

What is the official term for a single house on your carrier route? Is it "destination"? Or do you call it something else?

Asked by Sahara almost 13 years ago

I don't know the official term for a house. I would call it a "delivery address". So on my route there are 350 single family houses which is 350 possible deliveries or delivery addresses. I hope this helps you. 

1061 Votes

how does the mailman deliver live fish to me

Asked by sam over 12 years ago

I am not sure, but if it is properly packaged and labeled, I think it would be fine to leave in a mailbox if it fits and no signature was required. I am imagining that it comes in a styrofoam box and inside there are some bags with the fish in them, but I really don't know.

1059 Votes

What kind of shoes do you wear? Specifically, what works best in snow and ice conditions? Do women carriers wear the same type(s) of shoes?

Asked by Elaine over 12 years ago

This is a great question. Dry, comfortable footwear is of vital importance when working in snow, wet, cold, or icy conditions. Your uniorm allowance allows you to purchase several pair of shoes or overshoes per year to protect your feet. I wear rubberovershoes which fit over my standard shoes when it will be wet or snowy out. Furthermore, if it will be icy, we are issued small spiked overshoes to help us keep our grip on the snow or ice. Women and Men generally wear the same type of shoes except the sizing my be a little different.

1059 Votes

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Hi Dave,
Just completed the phase 2 process for a CCA position in NY. I want to know are we given choices of which station to work at or is it randomly assigned to us? Can we choose if we want to deliver mail on foot or by postal vehicle?

Asked by CCA over 12 years ago

I don't know how assignments are made for CCA. In NY City, most deliveries are made on foot, but not exclusively. It is common to see carriers using a cart with several mail satchels attached and then using relay boxes to pick up future deliveries on route. I would suggest that most routes delivered by postal vehicle are by more senior employees, but it's not always a hard and fast rule. Good luck in your employment!

1058 Votes

I have a package that was suppose to be here yesterday. It said, Notice Left (No Authorized Recipient Available) February 6 2014 4:12 pm FORT RILEY KS 66442

But, I was home the whole time... Will the mail man come to my door if theres snow?

Asked by Darelle over 12 years ago

Darelle, I don't know why the status would say No Authorized Recipient Available. It seems that nobody even tried knocking/ringing your door if you were home all day but you don't remember anybody. If there is too much snow, they may not attempt delivery. You may sign the note/leave in mailbox or visit www.usps.com to ask for a re-delivery attempt or pick up the item yourself at the post office mentioned on the PS3849-Delivery Attempt Notice Left. It seems that you probably didn't even get a notice yesterday, only an online notice which may not have been true. 

1058 Votes

I have applied for City Carrier Assistant and have an interview next week. I am wondering how often you lift 75 pounds? I have started to worry about being able to do that!

Asked by MarthaJ over 12 years ago

It is pretty rare that we would have to lift 75 lbs. Most of the heaviest packages are probably in the 30-40 lb. Range and even that isn't an everyday occurrence. Good luck to you. 

1058 Votes

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