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.
As far as I know, there is no other PO besides the one that delivers your mail that could do anything with the information whether you have moved or not. Other mail processing facilities just sort the mail according to ZIP code to get it on its way to your local PO. They aren't concerned with the name on the mail. Do you live with anybody else who may write that on the mail and put it back in the outgoing mail? As long as your local PO knows you haven't moved, nobody should be having your mail returned to the sender. You could also put a note and tape it inside your mailbox saying "(your name) is a valid name to deliver here".
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Some%20of%20my%20mail%20gets%20%22this%20person%20has%20moved%22%20and%20returned.%20My%20local%20post%20office%20said%20they%20straightened%20it%20out.%20But%20it%20is%20still%20happening.%20Do%20some%20post%20offices%20still%20have%20me%20listed%20as%20%22moved%22%2C%20if%20yes%3A%20How%20do%20I%20tell%20all%20post%20offices%20I%20haven%27t%20moved%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14458)
I am not sure of the the regulations as to whether or not the mail should be delivered without proper lighting. It is difficult to deliver mail if one can't read the addresses clearly enough or if it isn't safe to do so. Is it possible the complex mgmt can install a light over the boxes that can be switched on or off as needed. In general if mailboxes are set up so that delivery can be effected from inside a postal vehicle, the carrier shouldn't have to get out to deliver the mail. That said, I'm sure there are many occasions that it's easier to just deliver the mail than having to bring it back to the PO for delivery at a later date. I'm sorry I can't give you any more specific info.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Can%20a%20mail%20carrier%20decide%20to%20not%20deliver%20mail%20to%20an%20apartment%20complex%20because%20he%20says%20he%20should%20not%20have%20to%20get%20out%20of%20his%20vehicle%20to%20put%20the%20mail%20in%20the%20boxes%20and%20there%20should%20be%20a%20light%20over%20the%20boxes.%20My%20carrier%20did%20not%20deliver%20my%20mail%20for%203%20days&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/9885)
Great question. Since it has been many years since I have been trained to be a letter carrier, I don't remember if I was trained to make sure the box is closed. Personally, it is just common sense to close any mailbox if you can. What I mean is that sometimes the mail is too "tall" and would prevent a lid from closing completely, but I would still close the lid as much as I can. To be honest, I don't think training is that thorough when it comes to being a letter carrier. I have seen carriers just put the mail on the ground in front of a house (not even rubber-banded) because they couldn't find a mailbox or doorslot. I have also seen the mail delivered but hanging out of the mailbox in a very messy fashion when there was clearly enough room to fit it all in. Granted some mailboxes are quite small and it is impossible to fit the mail entirely inside, but I've never heard a customer complain about the mail hanging out of those small boxes. My suggestion would be either to call the PO and speak to a delivery supervisor about this or put a note on the mailbox saying "please close lid after delivering the mail". By the way, I am presuming that your mailbox is deep enough to fit even catalogs and magazines. If this isn't the case, then I do understand the mailbox lid not being closed.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20was%20wondering%20if%20letter%20carriers%20are%20trained%20to%20close%20the%20hinged%20lids%20on%20vertical%20wall%20mounted%20mailboxes%3F%20I%27ve%20had%20many%20carriers%20over%20the%20years%20and%20none%20of%20them%20has%20ever%20closed%20the%20lid.%20As%20a%20result%2C%20whenever%20it%20rains%20my%20mail%20gets%20drenched.&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/12316)
My brother works at a PO and I believe he uses the many alarm clocks method (including one across the room). There are apps that will give you a wake up call. I just set one alarm and Try to get 8 hrs. Sleep so getting up and to work on time isn't too hard for me. Promptness and attendance is an important part of staying employed.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=How%20do%20you%20make%20sure%20you%20get%20up%20in%20the%20morning%3F%20Do%20you%20have%20a%20lot%20of%20alarm%20clocks%20going%20off%20at%20different%20times%3F%20Do%20you%20have%20someone%20give%20you%20a%20wakeup%20call%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/8763)
Certified Nurse Aide
Have you ever seen any 'senior abuse' in your nursing home?
Sr. Software Engineer
Are those $12,000 "learn to program" bootcamps a rip-off?
Rap Promoter / Manager
Do venues you rent express concern about a higher risk of violence because it's a rap concert?
I think it was about 3 months (probationary period) before I received a uniform allowance. I think I dressed mostly in blue and wore jean shorts or blue jeans as a uniform for the lower part of my body and a dark t-shirt for the upper part. It was during summer months so outerwear wasnt too much of an issue but I probably had a rain jacket and baseball cap. I don't think anything had the USPS logo on it. I can't remember if I bought anything with my own money but probably would have, if necessary. With my first allowance (which was higher than subququent years), I probably bought long and short sleeved uniform shirts, a winter jacket, shorts and pants, shoes, and a baseball bap. It has been quite a few years but this is a guess as to what I bought. I know the items can be a bit pricey and eat up a uniform allowance quickly. On Long Island, NY where I deliver mail there used to be actual uniform stores that we could go in to and purchase our clothing. The one closest to wear I work/live has closed so I spend my entire yearly uniform allowance online. Some vendors will offer you a 10-20% spending bonus if you use the entire allowance at one time. I recommend purchasing items that will keep you warm and dry in bad weather even if it means spending out-of-pocket having used up your uniform allowance. It is difficult for me to work in the cold and always have to layer up properly in the winter. I don't know where you live if this is a factor or not. Good luck in your postal career and keep your head up even if management doesn't treat you like they appreciate you.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=What%20did%20you%20do%20uniform%20wise%20before%20you%20got%20your%20uniform%20allowance%3F%20Did%20you%20buy%20anything%20with%20your%20personal%20money%3F%20If%20so%20what%3F%20What%20did%20you%20buy%20with%20your%20first%20allowance%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/13347)
For the first 1-2 of hours each morning, letter carriers are busy sorting mail in delivery order so that when we go on our routes, the mail is organized. Each route has a pre-determined order of delivery and we have carrier cases (think of a desk with vertical dividers fof each address or building). After we are done sorting the mail we take it out of the carrier cases and put in trays or rubber band it so it stays organized. Before we actually put the mail in a customer's mailbox, we should be going through the mail we sorted to verify that it is the right mail going to the right house. The vast majority of the mail that we deliver is already sorted by a machine at a regional mail processing plant. The mail arrives at our local post office in delivery order (I'd say a fairly high level of accuracy) and as we go deliver the mail we merge that mail together with the mail we have sorted manually at the post office. The amount of mail we manually sort is so much lower than it used to be either because of automation or a decline in mail volume. When I started working for the USPS only letter size mailing was able to be put in order. Now we have machines that can sort flats (magazines, catalogs) in delivery order which is impressive as well.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=How%20do%20you%20organize%20the%20mail%20so%20you%20know%20you%20give%20all%20the%20mail%20to%20the%20right%20house%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/12357)
I don't know the answer for sure about this. It may depend on the actual carrier who comes to empty out the blue collection box as I am not sure of the rules that cover this. I know if I were the carrier who was emptying out the box and you could prove who you were and it matched a return address, I would likely return it to you. If there was no return address but you could still somehow prove it belonged to you, I also would likely give it back. But just to reiterate, I don't know the rules that cover this and it may also be up to the direction of the letter carrier.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=If%20I%20dropped%20some%20mail%20that%20I%20was%20going%20to%20hand%20deliver%20in%20the%20post%20office%20box%20by%20mistake%2C%20can%20I%20get%20it%20from%20them%20if%20I%20wait%20for%20them%20by%20the%20box%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/11862)
-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
