Ask a Mailman (City Letter Carrier) anything

1237 Questions

Last Answer on February 18, 2022

I received a very important & personal letter. Our mail carrier, whom we have not yet met, left a congratulatory note. That was kind, but she wrote it in red ink directly on the envelope! I was surprised. Does the USPS employee handbook allow that?

Asked by Dalgety almost 12 years ago

Another good question on this message board that I dont know the answer to. We rarely ever look at or are directed to a USPS employee handbook. I am sure it exists but don't know where it is at my PO. I am pretty sure my supervisor would have it at their desk or know where to find it. As far as writing a personal note directly on a letter, I would suggest that it not be done, but I can't say that it is against the rules. In general I don't think we should be making any comments or judgments about the mail that somebody receives. I'm not saying we don't talk about it internally but I wouldn't comment (in person or in writing) to the mail recipient or anybody else in public. That would be completely inappropriate. Please notice I don't use the word "illegal" here as I am not versed in the legality or disciplinary actions that are in play here, if any. The only time I would write directly on the mail is if I'm not familiar with the name of the recipient on a piece of mail that differs from the current residents that I know live at a particular address. In this case, I put a "?" next to the addressees name and deliver the letter. By doing this, the current residents can accept the letter or realize I wasn't sure if it was delivered correctly and leave it out for me the next day to return to the sender as "Attempted, Not Known." Thanks for writing.

903 Votes

My ex put a hold on my mail, is there anything I can do? (he no longer lives at home and had his mail forwarded to his new address

Asked by Melinda over 12 years ago

The forwarding of the mail in your ex's name is understandable. As far as putting a hold on the mail, you may go to the Post Office or contact them by telephone and ask them to remove the hold on your mail and resume delivery of mail to your address in your name. I would think that they would honor that request.

902 Votes

Do u guys run next week at all cause I have a package being sent out tomorrow and I was wondering if I'm going to get it before the new year

Asked by bre over 11 years ago

Bre, there is an excellent chance you will receive the package before the new year. Our operations are pretty much 24/7 when it comes to moving the mail through our delivery network. This time of year with heavy mail volume I think that most packages will arrive within 1-5 days from where they are shipped. Our service is quite reliable in my opinion. Happy New Year!

902 Votes

there is a blue usps collection box in the parking lot of a group of stores. when the stores are closed security people order you off the premises. is there a regulation requiring boxes to be fully accessible by the public 24/7?

Asked by stephen allen over 11 years ago

There is no regulation that I'm aware of that requires the collection box to be accessible 24/7. I know that in the town where I work some office buildings have collection slots in their lobby and I think an access card is required to enter the building during "off" hours. The mail collection slots serve the same purpose as the blue collection boxes meaning mail is picked up from those boxes/mail slots on a regular schedule.

902 Votes

Also on Jobstr...

Sr. Software Engineer

Are those $12,000 "learn to program" bootcamps a rip-off?

Inner City English Teacher

What was the saddest student journal entry you've read?

Day Trader

In trading, does an educated person have an advantage over an uneducated one?

How long does it take to receive an orientation email? I've completed all steps and was told that it take 7-14 days. I am now on 14 days and I am still waiting on email for orientation.

Asked by Glo about 12 years ago

I don't know anything about the orientation process and how long it takes to get an orientation email. I do hope you get something soon. Good luck to you!

901 Votes

If I leave an outgoing 1st class letter/envelope in my mailbox is the carrier obligated to take it? My old mail carrier always took it but my new carrier is saying I should schedule it. You can't schedule 1st class mail as best I can tell.

Asked by Cathy almost 12 years ago

As far as I know, if a first class envelope is left out for mailing and has sufficient postage on it, it should be taken when the carrier is doing their regular delivery. I am not sure what they mean by scheduling it. That is definitely done for parcels so the USPS knows whether or not to bring a postal vehicle (in case the carrier only delivers via foot.) I hope your new carrier is not just being lazy. I'm sure you have already done this, but please make sure that the outgoing letter(s) are obviously visible to the letter carrier to take. Thanks for writing.

901 Votes

if i didn't put in a change of address at the post office where i used to live and then i send a letter to the irs using the address at a motel i am temporarily staying at will it still reach its destination

Asked by william almost 12 years ago

Sure, the letter should reach its destination as long as it has the proper address and ZIP code. The only issue could be if the letter would need to be returned to you for some reason and you no longer are at the motel and there is nowhere to send the letter to. You don't need to put a return address on the letter to begin with. It's your own choice.

900 Votes

Showing 519 - 525

Show All

702 More Answers by Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Last 7

72 73 74 75 76 77

...

Next 7 Answers

Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

I received a very important & personal letter. Our mail carrier, whom we have not yet met, left a congratulatory note. That was kind, but she wrote it in red ink directly on the envelope! I was surprised. Does the USPS employee handbook allow that?

My ex put a hold on my mail, is there anything I can do? (he no longer lives at home and had his mail forwarded to his new address

Do u guys run next week at all cause I have a package being sent out tomorrow and I was wondering if I'm going to get it before the new year

there is a blue usps collection box in the parking lot of a group of stores. when the stores are closed security people order you off the premises. is there a regulation requiring boxes to be fully accessible by the public 24/7?

Also on Jobstr...

How long does it take to receive an orientation email? I've completed all steps and was told that it take 7-14 days. I am now on 14 days and I am still waiting on email for orientation.

If I leave an outgoing 1st class letter/envelope in my mailbox is the carrier obligated to take it? My old mail carrier always took it but my new carrier is saying I should schedule it. You can't schedule 1st class mail as best I can tell.

if i didn't put in a change of address at the post office where i used to live and then i send a letter to the irs using the address at a motel i am temporarily staying at will it still reach its destination

Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

I received a very important & personal letter. Our mail carrier, whom we have not yet met, left a congratulatory note. That was kind, but she wrote it in red ink directly on the envelope! I was surprised. Does the USPS employee handbook allow that?

My ex put a hold on my mail, is there anything I can do? (he no longer lives at home and had his mail forwarded to his new address

Do u guys run next week at all cause I have a package being sent out tomorrow and I was wondering if I'm going to get it before the new year

there is a blue usps collection box in the parking lot of a group of stores. when the stores are closed security people order you off the premises. is there a regulation requiring boxes to be fully accessible by the public 24/7?

Also on Jobstr...

How long does it take to receive an orientation email? I've completed all steps and was told that it take 7-14 days. I am now on 14 days and I am still waiting on email for orientation.

If I leave an outgoing 1st class letter/envelope in my mailbox is the carrier obligated to take it? My old mail carrier always took it but my new carrier is saying I should schedule it. You can't schedule 1st class mail as best I can tell.

if i didn't put in a change of address at the post office where i used to live and then i send a letter to the irs using the address at a motel i am temporarily staying at will it still reach its destination

Login

Forgot Your Password?

Register