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.
Yes. When I heard of a couple of postal workers in DC, plus several others dying from anthrax inhalation, I was pretty sure the odds were low of it arriving at my workplace but was still concerned about it. One day in late Oct. 2001, I was delivering a package to a customer and noticed a white powdery substance on the floor of the van, plus more coming out of the package. Since the package was not otherwise suspicious, I delivered it. I also rang the customers' bell to verify they knew where it was coming from and there was was nothing to worry about. They weren't home so I just left the item at their front door. Later in the day, I looked up the recipients number in the phone book and called them to verify that the package had nothing for me to worry about. They set my mind at ease. The time after 09/11/01 was nerve wracking for many, but I'm glad to see that the anthrax incidents were very limited and have had no significant threats that I can recall since then.
Not necessarily. If it says "presort std" or "Non-profit" in the upper right hand corner (that is known as the indicia) then it is likely a solicitation or advertisement. If it has a stamp or a meter that indicates first class, I also wouldn't be too concerned as long as the item isn't thick or otherwise looks suspicious. Generally if it is a letter-size envelope that isn't too thick , I wouldn't be too worried. I can't guarantee that there aren't dangerous items sent through the mail, but it is rare. I don't mean to say throw all caution to the wind, but I don't like to be an alarmist....unless you have reason to believe someone means you harm.
I am not sure of the reason why your cards may not get to its intended destination. I would make sure you have the following items taken care of. 1) check to make sure the address is correct and legible (definitely include apt. Or suite #'s if appropriate) 2) put a return address in the upper left hand corner of the envelope. 3) make sure there is sufficient postage on the envelope. Most basic greeting cards require just 1 stamp, but if the item has an irregular shape or contains very rigid contents, there may be additional postage required. We certainly make mistakes and misdeliver or destroy (sorting machines) mail on occasion, but it is more the exception than the rule. So we can't guarantee your card will get to its intended destination by dropping it in a blue mailbox, I can say it is VERY likely it will. Well more than 99% of the time in my opinion.
Contrary to our unofficial motto about delivering in all weather conditions, we won't deliver if the weather is too severe. If there is too much snow on the ground, or a hurricane, or other severe weather conditions, a decision may be made to cancel delivery. This decision is usually made a local or district level. In my experience as a letter carrier, delivery has only been canceled a couple of times due to a snowstorm, so it isn't a very common event.
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Is the new Oculus Rift thing as cool as everyone says?I don't think that this will become more mainstream for a regular household. Most families don't really mail that many items per month to make it worthwhile to subsidize a machine or postage. I don't see a need for most people under a certain age (my guess now is 35 years old) for the the USPS. I mean they may use it for mailing packages (postage can already be printed at home for that without any special device) and not too much else I can think of. We do offer options for customers to purchase stamps at grocery stores, warehouse clubs, via telephone, mail, or the Internet so nobody has to go to the PO now to buy stamps if they don't want to.
I wish, but It has never happened to me. I have no good stories about romance on the route. As much as it might make a good story, I don't think any small measure of fun is worth getting in trouble (with a husband or boyfriend) or putting a decent job at risk. I keep things professional between my customers and me. No issues that way.
I don't know the answer to that question. I agree with you that it's likely that mail volume is on the decline everywhere as technology spreads and instant electronic communications becomes the norm. I know some countries don't deliver mail 6 days a week and have privatized their postal system. Supposedly our current rate of .45 for a 1-oz. 1st-class piece of mail is one of the lower prices among modernized countries. We are by far the largest postal service in the world in terms of volume of mail delivered so our losses and gains are probably larger due to the scale of the operation.
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