Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

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.

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Last Answer on February 18, 2022

Best Rated

Hello just curious my mailman delivered a package to my door yesterday then when I went to check mail there was an "attempt to deliver" notice for another package and my mail for the week was gone .. Why would this happen

Asked by Ash almost 10 years ago

I don't know why the mailman would take away the mail for the week that had been sitting in your mailbox as well as an "attempted" notice for another package. Did the other package perhaps need a signature? It is common for some people not to check their mailbox for days and it rarely fills up to the point that I can't put any more mail in the mailbox. I hope that the mail reappears or is it possible you received none (not likely) or that someone else in your household (if you don't live alone) took the mail in to your residence?

542 Votes

On the holddown scenario it sucks bc the holidays r coming up and that carrier had no right to u know what.. The former carrier and the comp guy should reap the benefits for their hard work, especially when the unassigned is not well liked and aa ak

Asked by jvitto48 about 10 years ago

You are obviously referring to holiday gratuities, no need to hide that on this forum. We aren't really supposed to expect or accept cash tips but know that many of us do (me included). I can't really comment on who has a right to them. Maybe the comp man and the unassigned regular could split anything they get but I'm guessing there may not be enough trust to do that. I'm not really sure why the former carrier deserves anything if he voluntarily bid off that route for another assignment. I don't know what "aa" means but "as" means ass kisser. I guess I don't really agree with you in this situation and holiday gratuities really shouldn't be basis for any rules about bumping or holddowns. It really just seems to cause problems when it shouldn't even be entering into the picture.

542 Votes

Does a mailman have a right to walk through my yard if they refuse to deliver my mail.

Asked by Bev about 10 years ago

Bev, I don't know the reason the letter carrier is refusing to deliver your mail. Do you have a loose dog near your mailbox or another hazardous situation which would make it unsafe for the letter carrier to deliver your mail. I don't know the answer to your question, but I'd say that they shouldn't be walking through your yard if they aren't delivering your mail. It sounds inappropriate to me, but I can't cite any rights that they have or don't have regarding this.

542 Votes

When do the mailman comes back to work since next Friday is Christmas

Asked by Kenya about 10 years ago

We will be operating as normal on 12/26/15 Saturday. Have a Merry Christmas!

541 Votes

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How can I get a letter to a specific mail carrier. Not necessarily the one on my route.

Asked by Jane about 10 years ago

If you know their name and what PO they work at you could mail it with their name, c/o the PO where they work and hopefully they will get it. You could mark it Personal if you want to. I have lost a lot of faith lately in things getting delivered to where they should but you could try it. I would think if our supervisor or PM saw a letter addresses to an employee they'd give it to them as long as it wasn't habitual. iVe never been in that situation so I can't say for sure. Thanks for your question.

541 Votes

I am from Paraguay and have sent four items to the US, all with tracking numbers. They went through the Miami ISC but it's been more than a month and there has been no further updates. What may have happened and what could I do?

Asked by renef09 almost 11 years ago

I am thinking it may be held up in Customs, but am not sure if that happens before or after it gets to the ISC, or is maybe based in the Miami ISC. Do you know if the recipient is still looking for their items? Sometimes it doesn't get any more bar code scans before it is delivered but actually has been delivered. You could go to www.usps.com and maybe do an inquiry as to where the items could be but I don't have a lot of confidence that you will get any more info than is what you already have.

541 Votes

I'm a CCA in Ohio that survived the winter (YAY!) and this will be my first summer working for the USPS. Do you have any tips for surviving the heat?

Asked by Bradan over 10 years ago

Bradan, Congratulations on surviving the winter! That can't have been fun at all. I'm just glad it's over also. As much as the heat isn't fun, I prefer it over the cold. I know there are others who feel quite differently about that. As far as tips go, my main tips are: 1) Drink plenty of water or some other liquids. I've heard different schools of thought whether or not Gatorade is good. My joke is that on the internet you can find anybody to support your opinion. I would guess that it works but there is a very high sugar content. The key is to stay hydrated.

2) Wear a hat to block the sun off your head and face. I wear a cowboy-type hat which works well. I fold the edges up by the ear so it doesn't look so funny but there is a tradeoff in that I'm exposing more of my face to the sun. I'm not sure what the official name of the hat is. You could also wear a white mesh pith helmet. Baseball caps will help as well but not cover too much of your face or neck for sun exposure. I also wear sunglasses most of the time.

3) Wear as light clothes as possible. I usually wear shorts in the warm weather and a short-sleeve uniform shirt with a t-shirt underneath.

Those are the basic tips that I can think of. Make sure to ask or take a cue from your fellow carriers, as I'm far from being an expert on this. On the very hot and humid days I consume water without even thinking about it, usually bringing about 2 liters with me plus some orange juice to drink with lunch.

Good luck to you. During July and August there is so much extra work to do because of our fellow workers going on vacation. We never seem to have enough help. I'm sure that story is repeated in many Post Offices nationwide.

541 Votes

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