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.
I don't believe that UPS or FEDEX do any type of stamping on their envelopes or parcels like the USPS does when processing the mail. I do know that both companies have very good tracking services for each item so the recipient can tell what facilities the item went through before being delivered to them. When they receive what you sent to them, they can likely go online with the item tracking # and find out how the item traveled from you to them. Thanks for writing.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Hello-%0AJust%20wondering%20about%20mailing%20UPS%20or%20FEDEX%2Cand%20if%20they%20still%20stamp%20the%20city%20name%20on%20the%20envelope%20before%20it%20is%20sent%20out%20like%20the%20regular%20mail%20is%20done%3F%20In%20case%20you%20wanted%20to%20mail%20someone%2Cbut%20not%20wanting%20them%20to%20know%20what%20city%20it%20is%20coming%20from%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/12810)
I think you will likely receive the item but there may be a delay of several days. The letter will first likely go to the PO that the ZIP corresponds to. The clerks at that office would then need to send the letter back to a central mail facility where it might be manually corrected (the proper ZIP being researched and put on the envelope) and then continue to the intended destination. I'm not sure I have the procedure correct. It's also possible the letter could be returned to the sender with the endorsement of "No Such Street in this ZIP code" but I've never seen that before.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=If%20someone%20mailed%20me%20something%20with%20the%20correct%20address%2C%20city%2C%20and%20state%2C%20but%20wrong%20zip%20code.%20What%20will%20most%20likely%20happen%3F%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15285)
I'm sorry but it's unlikely that you would be able to get your paycheck before regular mail delivery on Monday. It is likely that your post office closed and may not have anybody there until early on Monday AM. Even on Monday AM, it's not likely that your mail will be available (or that you'd find anybody willing or allowed to help). I don't know where your post office is so I can't speak to the specifics of your situation. I am just speaking in generalities of what I think would be the situation at most post offices. My question to you is: How do you know your pay check is at the post office? Most post offices deliver whatever mail has arrived on the same day that it arrives. What I mean is that mail that is processed overnight at a regional sorting facility arrives at our local post office by apprx 730AM and then is all sent out for delivery the same day it arrives. Do you have a PO Box where the paycheck would be and your local post office has restricted hours for access (i.e. not a 24 hour lobby).
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20know%20my%20paycheck%20is%20at%20post%20office%2C%20I%20need%20for%20an%20emergency%2C%20%20it%27s%20Saturday%20night%20at%206%3A10%20pm.%20Is%20there%20any%20possible%20way%20to%20get%20it%20before%20monday%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/11830)
Hello Jake. I don't think the mail truck should have driven away from you if they actually had the package. Do you know if the mail truck actually had the package for you to be delivered? The only reason that the mail truck should have just driven away is if it somehow felt that it was dangerous to deliver the package to your house. I don't think that throwing a baseball around is reason enough not to attempt to deliver a package.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Okay%20if%20im%20standing%20around%20my%20house%20i%20was%20throwing%20a%20bass%20ball%20im%20waiting%20for%20a%20package%20the%20mail%20truck%20drives%20to%20my%20mail%20box%20looks%20at%20me%20then%20drives%20away%20is%20tht%20allowed%3F..&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/12220)
Beauty Queen
Have you ever suspected that the judging in a pageant was rigged?
Employment Lawyer
Can I be sued for asking a co-worker on a date?
Sr. Software Engineer
Are those $12,000 "learn to program" bootcamps a rip-off?
Most of the time I would say the mailman could find a house without a house number, but it is highly recommended that you have the number posted somewhere on the house, painted on the curb, or on the mailbox. I would never assume that the house could be found without a visible number posted. I rarely come across the situation where I can't find a house number, but if I did the method I would use would be to find an adjacent house (and hopefully that has a number visible) and then add or subtract 2 (the normal interval) to figure out the house number without a visible number. Now that I think of it you may have been asking if I have a name of a resident plus a street name, but no street number, could I find the house. The answer would be "possibly". If the mailman was familiar with the names on the street they could probably deliver the mail to the right house. Again, I would never assume that mail will get to the correct destination without a complete and proper address. Thanks for writing in.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Can%20a%20mailman%20still%20find%20your%20house%20without%20a%20house%20number%20as%20long%20as%20they%20have%20the%20street%20name%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/12480)
David, you are correct about parcel delivery becoming ubiquitous. When I started at the USPS in 1998, there was so much actual mail to be sorted and delivered with only a few parcels. The pendulum is definitely swinging the other way and I truly can envision a time where mail becomes very insignificant compared to parcel delivery. Right now, we seem to have a fair amount of both. In developments that have cluster delivery boxes (usually apartment buildings or condominium complexes) or in a PO lobby we do use parcel lockers. I don't know how it would work with having boxes on the street similar to the USPS collection boxes used today. Currently the parcel lockers work this way---If a customer has a package to large to fit in their regular delivery receptacle, the carrier will put the package in the parcel locker, lock it with a key they have and put a separate specific parcel locker key in the regular receptacle of the parcel recipient. When the postal customer goes to retrieve their mail, they will see the parcel locker key and use that key in a specified parcel locker. Once they insert the key and turn it, that key stays in the lock, the locker opens and the customer retrieves their parcel. It is a very efficient system as opposed to going to the door of a customer (in a centralized delivery environment) to just use the parcel lockers.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=With%20parcel%20deliveries%20becoming%20so%20ubiquitous%20thanks%20to%20internet%20shopping%2C%20I%20have%20often%20thought%20that%20a%20mailbox%20similar%20to%20the%20USPS%20blue%20mailboxes%20might%20be%20a%20good%20and%20secure%20way%20to%20delivering%20parcels.%20Do%20you%20know%20how%20these%20actually%20work%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/12580)
Pablo, you can definitely have tattoos (visible or not) to be a letter carrier. Co-workers have had them since I have started working at the USPS 15 years ago. You can be hired with only a HS diploma if you do well on the test. It isn't true that you have to wait until someone retires before being hired. To become a full time employee this may be true but new hires are CCA which is City Carrier Assistant which is position requiring your flexibility in work hours and no guarantee of more than a few hours per week. I don't know the exact number of hours and the CCAs where I work have plenty of hours to work, including some Sundays delivering parcels.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Can%20u%20become%20a%20mailman%20right%20out%20of%20highschool%2C%20are%20arm%20tattoos%20unwanted%20and%20if%20you%20can%20join%20right%20out%20of%20high%20school%20what%20is%20the%20likely%20chance%20you%20get%20hired%20if%20u%20do%20well%20on%20the%20tests.%20%28Heard%20someone%20must%20retire%20so%20u%20can%20recieve%20job%20if%20no%20vacancies%29&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/13683)
-OR-
Login with Facebook (max 20 characters - letters, numbers, and underscores only. Note that your username is private, and you have the option to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)
(A valid e-mail address is required. Your e-mail will not be shared with anyone.)
(min 5 characters)
By checking this box, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to Jobstr.com’s Terms and Privacy Policy.
-OR-
Register with Facebook(Don't worry: you'll be able to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)
Browse Jobs
Host a Q&A
Search
Submit Your Question
Host a Q&A
Last 7
