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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1237 Questions

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Last Answer on February 18, 2022

Best Rated

I had a question about EDDM. I recently had 3000 EDDM postcards delivered by 2 local post offices. It's been about about 2 weeks and I haven't heard anything as far as new clients go. Is there a way to verify they were delivered?

Asked by Rd77 almost 10 years ago

I am not sure there is a way to verify they were actually delivered by the PO. In general, an EDDM should only sit for a few days at most from what I've seen at the PO where I work. I don't know if there is a specific time frame that they must be delivered after being received by the delivery PO. If you called the destination POs, I don't think there is much hope that whoever you speak to could verify if they were delivered or not. There is a good chance they wouldn't even remember it. Basically all I can say is that they should've been delivered, but can't recommend a way to verify that your EDDM postcards were delivered. EDDM stands for Every Door Direct Mail.

502 Votes

Wondering if mail is picked up from the blue outside mailboxes at the post office on a federal holiday (like 2-15-2016)? I figured I could drop it off tomorrow and it would be in the mail system and on its way one day earlier. It's a stamped envelope

Asked by DebB. almost 10 years ago

I doubt that mail is picked up from the blue outside mailboxes on a federal holiday (02/15/16 Washington's Birthday, for example). I can only speak for where I work but I think there are no trucks with collection box mail going from most POs to a mail processing facility. At the PO where I work in Long Island, NY the building is shut on Sundays and Holidays (except for most of December when we deliver parcels from our PO) and nobody is emptying the blue outside collection boxes. In summary, whether you mail the letter this Monday (02/15/16) or Tuesday, (02/17/16) it shouldn't make a difference on the speed of processing it.

502 Votes

Are you allowed to date someone who is on your route?

Asked by Michelle about 10 years ago

Sure, I don't think there are any restrictions on this whatsoever. I have a friend of the family who met his future wife while delivering mail to her. I think it's important to keep it professional while delivering the mail and don't do any special favors or inappropriate while in uniform. I mean having lunch with them would seem fine to me, but don't have them follow you around if you are delivering mail on foot. Romance can bloom anywhere. Two of my former coworkers met while working at the PO and later became married and have a child and work in separate locations.

502 Votes

If you could change anything about your uniform what would it be??

Asked by Lulu over 9 years ago

I'm generally satisfied with the uniforms that we wear at the USPS and they haven't changed much since I've been working there. The only issue that I have with our uniforms that I can think of is that they are difficult to keep clean. I wear a satchel over my shoulder and carry mail in my arms so the shirt tends to get very dirty. The shoulder strap makes a mark on the uniform shirt where it rests. I admit that I don't wash the shirts as often as I should but they are hard to keep looking crisp nonetheless. I like the fact that we wear uniforms so there isn't much to think about wearing each day to work except the layering to keep me warm in the winter. Thank you for your question.

501 Votes

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Currently on a comp tour my ns day is on a Thursday, Feb 18,bid on a route to start Friday 19 which is that route weekend off, not on ot list, do l work that day to get 40 hours bc Monday is a holiday Feb 15.

Asked by jvitto48 almost 10 years ago

I didn't know that an assignment can officially start on a non-Saturday. Saturday begins a pay week and from then until the following Friday a regular city letter carrier (like yourself) is guaranteed 40 hours of pay which could include a holiday (like 2/15) or paid sick or annual leave. In your situation I would think that you'd have to work on either Thursday or Friday to make up the 40 hours. It's a bit confusing as to know what assignment you would do considering I don't know the size of your office and how easily they could put you somewhere else for either Thursday or Friday. I don't know the contract well enough to even know if this issue is addressed. I'd recommend talking to your shop steward or supervisor to see what they think. Is it possible that the start of your bid could be delayed until Saturday 02/20/16 in which case you'd be on your comp tour on 2/19 and would be working to get 40 hours for the week ending Friday 02/19/16.

500 Votes

this isn't a trivia question but kind of sounds like one do you know what island in the US it would take up to three weeks to receive mail from in oregon

Asked by Megan about 10 years ago

I don't know the answer to this though not much surprises me regarding the USPS. While most mail is delivered domestically within about 4 days, I suppose there a reason some exceptions where it takes much longer. You can post this question again with the answer (if you know it) or email me privately daveabbey at aol dot com.

500 Votes

I live in a M.H park.The mailboxes are grouped together.Can I wait by the mailbox until the mail has been delivered. Then get my mail while carrier is at the next section? Mgrs at park say its a Fed. law u cant wait while the carrier is still present

Asked by RobertSC almost 10 years ago

I don't know anything about Federal Law when it comes to this subject. I'd suggest that the letter carriers may not want you that close to them while they are sorting the mail because you might be able to view what mail other residents are getting which might violate some privacy rules. I've never heard of what the MHP mgr is claiming to be true. Also, I don't see why you couldn't access your mailbox once the letter carrier has locked your section and moved on to an adjacent section of centralized boxes. When I deliver to a centralized box unit, it can be a little annoying when residents come out to chat and want their mail, but I don't experience that behavior often. If I do, I'm generally pleasant with them, give them their mail if they request it (since I don't work in an area where mail theft is not common whatsoever) and move on. I should also clarify I don't regularly deliver to centralized boxes and it's only when I fill in on another route than my own do I do that. Mail is becoming less and less important to most people that some residents don't even collect their mail for days at a time. It sounds like someone is making up a story to exercise some authority that they don't have. I don't like to hear that at all.

500 Votes

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