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

Thanks for that answer! And while i'm here,also wondering how some VERY profitable tv preachers can mail with free postage under "non-profit organization"?

Asked by DwB44 almost 12 years ago

Youre welcome. I try to give put proper information and not make up something if I don't know the answer (which I have learned on this website is actually many things.) The TV preachers don't get free postage at all, nor does any non-profit organization. These charities or organized religions register with the IRS as non-profits and then can mail with the USPS at a reduced rate. These mailings have to be prepared in a certain way and be in a certain quantity. Also, these mailings aren't given any preferential treatment as a first-class letter or magazine would be given. It is true that many non-profits (including the TV preachers you speak of) are known to make plent if money, have high cost structures and pay plenty of money to those at the top. The USPS doesn't judge that when issuing a non-profit mailing permit. They just look for the proper paperwork to be a non-profit and also make sure the mailings are prepared accordingly. Thank you for that thought-provoking question. 

I know my paycheck is at post office, I need for an emergency, it's Saturday night at 6:10 pm. Is there any possible way to get it before monday?

Asked by kidsrhungry about 12 years ago

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).

How do you keep your hands warm in cold weather while carrying, holding, fingering and delivering the mail?

Asked by vbjmin over 11 years ago

Vbjmin, you ask a question that I'd love to know the perfect answer to as I've been struggling with this issue from the beginning of my postal career. Cold hands are really hard to tolerate especially when you will be out delivering hours and they must be nimble enough to finger the mail. I wear a glove (thick or thin) on the hand where I hold the mail and cradle the flats since I don't need that hand to finger the mail. The hand that I use to finger the mail and deliver the mail I try to wear a thinner and sometimes fingerless glove or one with small gripping dots on them This has worked okay over the years. Another item which can be useful is "hot hands" which are small single-use packets that form a chemical reaction and heat up for several hours. You can put those in your pocket or even inside your glove. I have rarely used these but my girlfriend, not a letter carrier, loves them. I have purchased many pairs of gloves over the years. It's just a matter of finding the ones that keep you warm enough but allows you to still feel the mail. Thanks for writing and winter is my least favorite season to deliver mail.

My mailman was told I moved by a neighbor. However, I have not moved and have not received mail for two weeks. In a case like this what happens to my mail and how can I get my missed deliveries?

Asked by WillT over 11 years ago

I am appalled by this story and others I've heard on this message board about strange things happening to the mail which are set in motion by people who have no right to do so. I hope that you will start to receive your mail soon. I don't know what happened to the undelivered mail. It's possible that the letter carrier submitted a "Moved Left No Address" form which would have your mail returned to the sender. Once this MLNA is canceled no mail will be returned to the sender and service should resume normally. Why would your neighbor do this to you and have you approached them about this? I'm not sure if a neighbor told me someone moved I would take their word for it.

If someone mailed me something with the correct address, city, and state, but wrong zip code. What will most likely happen??

Asked by Constance almost 11 years ago

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.

If I sent a letter to the wrong address, or address that doesn't exist, how long would it take, approximately, for me to receive it back?

Asked by BP almost 12 years ago

I would guess about 2 weeks if you were to get it back at all. Theoretically if you sent it to the wrong address and it was delivered there, it is conceivable that the recipient may not return the letter to the mail carrier even though they should.  If you sent the letter to an address that doesn't exist, the item should be returned with the endorsement "No Such Street" or "No Such Number". I am just not sure of the actual time frame it would take for it to get back to you. It may depend on the workload of the nixie (not deliverable mail) at the destination PO. Thanks for your inquiry. 

I was supposed to be getting mail from somewhere but I see that they have the wrong apartment number for me...is this a problem if my name is on the mail and obviously my mailbox?

Asked by Candy over 11 years ago

Candy, I'm not sure whether or not you will get the mail you are looking for. It depends on how well the letter carrier knows the names that are in the apt. building, the size of the apt. buidling (if it's a very large building, they may not be able to see all of the names on any directory), if they can clearly see who belongs in each apt, and if the regular carrier is working that day. Some carriers will treat a wrong apt. # the same as if the letter was mailed to a wrong address and either deliver it as addressed (to the wrong apt. # in your case) or return it to the sender. There is no clear cut answer as to what will happen to your mail. There are so many inconsistencies at this job that I can't predict what someone else may do. Also, if it's not the regular letter carrier working on the day your mail arrives and they aren't familiar with the apt. #'s/names, they may just deliver the mail to the apt. # written on the piece of mail. In that case, maybe the tenant who receives it will get the piece of mail to you.