Ask a Mailman (City Letter Carrier) anything

1237 Questions

Last Answer on February 18, 2022

if we get mail that we don't want like catalogs is there any way we can refuse it and send it back or do we have to pay postage to do that?

Asked by anonymous over 11 years ago

I'm not sure of the answer to this. I think you have to pay postage if the mail was sent to you at a rate called presort Standard. The reason is because if you just leave that type of mail in your box for the carrier to take back they can refuse to take it, or, if they do take it back, it will likely just be discarded into a recycling bin at the PO. That type of mail is called NOVM (No Obvious Value Mail). There will be no effect on you continuing to get that type of mail in the future because the mailer has no notification that you want to be taken off their mailing list. The most effective way to have these mailings cease would likely be to call the mailer or email them to be removed from their mailing list. I have found this effective for reputable emailers but have never tried it with traditional paper mailers. Thanks for your question.

838 Votes

can you go to your local post office to see if something you were waiting for showed up after the mailman left to deliver your mail that day?

Asked by anagain almost 12 years ago

Generally, no. The reason is that if an item shows up after the mailman has left for their route, the new incoming mail may not even have been sorted yet. Furthermore, most POs have policy against giving out mail over the counter that is intended to be delivered by a letter carrier. I can't speak as to what your specific PO would do, but generally the answer would be no as stated above.

837 Votes

I live in a circle, there has been situations that my mail got stolen and I can't see my mailbox from my residence because it sits before the circle starts, can I move my mailbox to the front of my house?

Asked by Wejo over 11 years ago

I'm sorry to hear about your mail being stolen. I don't know about moving the location of your mailbox. I am just speculating, but if you live in a circle where the mailbox sits at the street and is serviced by a letter carrier from their vehicle where they just stick their arm out and you want to move the box to a location where the same process can still be accomplished, I don't see why it would be a problem. Does the carrier drive by your house anyway, or do they not come in the circle because all of the mailboxes are at an area where they can avoid coming into the circle. If that's the case, I am not sure it would be allowed to be moved "inside the circle". It's important that the approach to the mailbox is not blocked on any regular basis so the carrier doesn't have to "dismount" from their vehicle to put the mail in the mailbox. I'm not saying they wouldn't dismount to deliver the mail, but the general idea of mailboxes at the street is so the mail can be delivered directly from the postal vehicle. For further clarification, I'd recommend calling or visiting your local post office and speaking with a delivery supervisor.

837 Votes

I was keeping a piece of mail in the mailbox that had been delivered to my address for our old roommate to pick up. After about 2 days, the letter was gone but the roommate had not picked it up. Would USPS take the letter back and return to sender?

Asked by ST almost 11 years ago

ST, I'm not sure what happened in your situation. Some USPS carriers may be trained or take it upon themselves to do things differently than others. If the letter carrier saw the one letter in your mailbox but the rest of the mail taken in (by you), they might think it's mail for a person no longer living there and return it to the sender "Attempted, Not Known" or "Unable to Forward" or something else. It seems likely that this is what happened and the letter wasn't stolen though I can't says for sure.

837 Votes

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Thank you for taking the time to answer my question about driver certification training.Perhaps the difficult economy allows for a more Darwinian approach. Warned not to hit a cone.You must pass several scenarios.
Enumerated in USPS manual.

Asked by Chris over 11 years ago

Chris, the pleasure is mine to help out where I am able to. I am not sure what your comments mean regarding the Darwinian approach, except possibly that I was just stating the obvious to drive carefully. I am not familiar with what the USPS Manual says, but does that state several simulated scenarios to be passed? Good luck to you if you are trying to get hired as a letter carrier with the USPS.

836 Votes

How many times is mail picked up at the post office and also does mail being sent off in the morning get to its destination sooner

Asked by kay almost 11 years ago

I'm sure each Post Office has a slightly different dispatch schedule for mail being sent off to a P&DC (Processing and Distribution Center). I think that our Post Office dispatches the mail 2-3 times per day. I don't think that something mailed in the morning gets to its destination sooner than a letter which is collected prior to our final dispatch which is usually around 6PM. We have service levels which basically say if a letter or parcel is mailed on a certain date (before a final dispatch) that it should reach its destination by a certain date. This is usually 1-3 days depending on the distance between the origination and destination Post Office and the class of mail that is being sent (1st Class, Priority, Express, Parcel Post, etc).

836 Votes

I have just started as a CCA for Glen Head long island but I live in Brooklyn, the drive is too long for me. Can I transfer right away if I see an opening on usps website.

Asked by NA about 11 years ago

I wish you well in your career as a CCA, but I certainly understand that a drive from Brooklyn to Glen Head is pretty far. I don't know anything about the transfer process even when you just started your probationary period. I don't think it was possible when I was a PTF (part-time flexible) to put in for a transfer until a certain amount of time had passed since I was hired. I don't know if the process has changed. Thanks for writing.

836 Votes

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Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

if we get mail that we don't want like catalogs is there any way we can refuse it and send it back or do we have to pay postage to do that?

can you go to your local post office to see if something you were waiting for showed up after the mailman left to deliver your mail that day?

I live in a circle, there has been situations that my mail got stolen and I can't see my mailbox from my residence because it sits before the circle starts, can I move my mailbox to the front of my house?

I was keeping a piece of mail in the mailbox that had been delivered to my address for our old roommate to pick up. After about 2 days, the letter was gone but the roommate had not picked it up. Would USPS take the letter back and return to sender?

Also on Jobstr...

Thank you for taking the time to answer my question about driver certification training.Perhaps the difficult economy allows for a more Darwinian approach. Warned not to hit a cone.You must pass several scenarios.
Enumerated in USPS manual.

How many times is mail picked up at the post office and also does mail being sent off in the morning get to its destination sooner

I have just started as a CCA for Glen Head long island but I live in Brooklyn, the drive is too long for me. Can I transfer right away if I see an opening on usps website.

Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

if we get mail that we don't want like catalogs is there any way we can refuse it and send it back or do we have to pay postage to do that?

can you go to your local post office to see if something you were waiting for showed up after the mailman left to deliver your mail that day?

I live in a circle, there has been situations that my mail got stolen and I can't see my mailbox from my residence because it sits before the circle starts, can I move my mailbox to the front of my house?

I was keeping a piece of mail in the mailbox that had been delivered to my address for our old roommate to pick up. After about 2 days, the letter was gone but the roommate had not picked it up. Would USPS take the letter back and return to sender?

Also on Jobstr...

Thank you for taking the time to answer my question about driver certification training.Perhaps the difficult economy allows for a more Darwinian approach. Warned not to hit a cone.You must pass several scenarios.Enumerated in USPS manual.

How many times is mail picked up at the post office and also does mail being sent off in the morning get to its destination sooner

I have just started as a CCA for Glen Head long island but I live in Brooklyn, the drive is too long for me. Can I transfer right away if I see an opening on usps website.

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Thank you for taking the time to answer my question about driver certification training.Perhaps the difficult economy allows for a more Darwinian approach. Warned not to hit a cone.You must pass several scenarios.
Enumerated in USPS manual.