Ask a Mailman (City Letter Carrier) anything

1237 Questions

Last Answer on February 18, 2022

Had a package to be delivered it was shupped on 2/10/2015 with no update on usps side since EMS site says sent to jf. No other. Updates is this normal. No sign of customs scan at all .

Asked by Jarvis christian over 11 years ago

The USPS help/customer service phone is: 1-800-275-8777. I don't know how helpful they will be since they generally have access to the same info you do with regards to mail tracking. I am not sure if you are the shipper or the recipient. Regardless, it sounds like it has been a long time since there have been any updates. I assume by JF you meant JFK. I guess the only advice is to wait for the item to appear somewhere. After that, I'm not sure what can be done.

753 Votes

If a certified is thrown in the outgoing mail by human error will it come to the post office the next business day in the dps or in some form back to the post office.

Asked by jvitto over 11 years ago

I think the letter that was accidentally thrown in the outgoing mail, even if it was a certified letter, would come back the next business day or the day after either via the DPS or the registry clerk. It would rarely be the case that the letter would just disappear. At least that's what I hope would happen.

748 Votes

Just a question. I send out postcards every other week on Friday do most postcard going to differents states typically arive on Monday? And does using a 9 digit zip code speed up the process?

Asked by Andrew over 11 years ago

If you mail out the postcards on Friday, they will generally arrive Monday or Tuesday depending on how far away the destination is from you. The USPS has been talking about a change in what is called their EXFC standards so First Class Mail that used to take 1-3 days may now take 2-4 days. I'm not sure if this is in effect or not. With regards to using the 9-digit ZIP code I don't believe it speeds up the process. If your postcards have printed addresses on them, our OCR (Optical Character Reader) probably would have no problem reading the address, spraying a bar code on the envelope and sending it on its way expeditiously. Most addressing software programs now produce an address with a 9-digit ZIP and standardized address. If you look at a lot of the mail you receive, it likely has the 9-digit ZIP code on it. We call it ZIP + 4, but it's the same thing. This codes the destination address down to a pretty small group of addresses within a ZIP code. I believe in some cases PO Boxes each have their own specific ZIP + 4. Thank you for your question.

748 Votes

Why would a mailman approach me and ask for my last name, is this normal, then asked if there were any other last names different then mine at my house? They deliver to an address #, correct? So why the nosey mailman with regard to name status?

Asked by DWR over 11 years ago

I don't believe this is as nosy as you think. You are technically correct that we deliver to an address, but sometimes there are names that previously resided at an address who have moved years ago and the mailman may want to have that mail returned to sender "Unable To Forward" because the mail forwarding period has expired. I will do this on occasion but I may not ask directly what a person's surname is. If I see a person at an address and at the same time I see a name on a mailpiece that I'm not familiar with, I may ask the person if the name on the mail is valid to deliver there. It is possible that the mailman just wants to deliver the mail correctly and may not have been nosy, but I can't say for sure. When in doubt as to the proper name at an address, I will often just deliver the mailpiece in question and hope that the residents will advise if it isn't correct. Thanks for your question.

746 Votes

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I am working as mailman 3 months now i feel that when regular mailman given tough time or in their absence they look for CCA to help them, they send them 3 or 4 different locations to complete with time frame but i think time is not real

Asked by eric almost 11 years ago

Eric, I do understand what you mean. It's like they look to the CCA to clean up the table scraps when a regular is out on sick or annual leave or can't finish their route. This is the nature of being a CCA. It's important to be flexible in your availability and willingness to go help other letter carriers. With regard to the time frame to complete 3 or 4 different pieces, it's important to not get too caught up with how long they say it should take. As long as you are going at a reasonable pace and not wasting time by using your cell phone or talking too long too customers, the management can't do much too you. It sounds like you have passed probation which is good. They also need to take into account that it takes time to travel between the locations you are assigned to go to. If they give you a hard time about how long it takes to complete a section, I would respond that you are doing as best as you can. Please just deliver the mail safely, accurately and be organized.

746 Votes

I lost my mailbox key (cluster). I called USPS and they said that if I leave a note for the carrier, he could replace the lock. Is it true or do I have to find a locksmith?

Asked by Nicole over 10 years ago

I don't think you need to hire a locksmith to replace the lock to a cluster mailbox, but to be honest I don't really know the procedure as to who maintains the boxes. It may be the USPS or it could be the complex/apt/condo management. I believe the lock may have to be changed because I don't even know if spare keys are held anywhere. If it is true that a letter carrier can get the lock changed I don't know the length of time that this takes though I imagine it is common for mailbox keys to be lost.

745 Votes

If you receive a postage paid letter from a non-profit org.,can you then forward the same envelope to someone without any added postage? Or does the pre-paid only cover one recipient,in this case myself?
thank you-

Asked by David B. almost 12 years ago

David, if the letter is addressed to you from the non-profit org. and it says "postage paid" in the indicia (the square usually on the upper right hand corner of the letter you are referring to), you may not forward that letter to another recipient. It is postage paid for the letter to get to you and that's it. Any additional mailing of that same envelope would require first-class postage put over the indicia. I would recommend using an entirely new envelope.

745 Votes

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Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

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Had a package to be delivered it was shupped on 2/10/2015 with no update on usps side since EMS site says sent to jf. No other. Updates is this normal. No sign of customs scan at all .

If a certified is thrown in the outgoing mail by human error will it come to the post office the next business day in the dps or in some form back to the post office.

Just a question. I send out postcards every other week on Friday do most postcard going to differents states typically arive on Monday? And does using a 9 digit zip code speed up the process?

Why would a mailman approach me and ask for my last name, is this normal, then asked if there were any other last names different then mine at my house? They deliver to an address #, correct? So why the nosey mailman with regard to name status?

Also on Jobstr...

I am working as mailman 3 months now i feel that when regular mailman given tough time or in their absence they look for CCA to help them, they send them 3 or 4 different locations to complete with time frame but i think time is not real

I lost my mailbox key (cluster). I called USPS and they said that if I leave a note for the carrier, he could replace the lock. Is it true or do I have to find a locksmith?

If you receive a postage paid letter from a non-profit org.,can you then forward the same envelope to someone without any added postage? Or does the pre-paid only cover one recipient,in this case myself?
thank you-

Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

Had a package to be delivered it was shupped on 2/10/2015 with no update on usps side since EMS site says sent to jf. No other. Updates is this normal. No sign of customs scan at all .

If a certified is thrown in the outgoing mail by human error will it come to the post office the next business day in the dps or in some form back to the post office.

Just a question. I send out postcards every other week on Friday do most postcard going to differents states typically arive on Monday? And does using a 9 digit zip code speed up the process?

Why would a mailman approach me and ask for my last name, is this normal, then asked if there were any other last names different then mine at my house? They deliver to an address #, correct? So why the nosey mailman with regard to name status?

Also on Jobstr...

I am working as mailman 3 months now i feel that when regular mailman given tough time or in their absence they look for CCA to help them, they send them 3 or 4 different locations to complete with time frame but i think time is not real

I lost my mailbox key (cluster). I called USPS and they said that if I leave a note for the carrier, he could replace the lock. Is it true or do I have to find a locksmith?

If you receive a postage paid letter from a non-profit org.,can you then forward the same envelope to someone without any added postage? Or does the pre-paid only cover one recipient,in this case myself?thank you-

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If you receive a postage paid letter from a non-profit org.,can you then forward the same envelope to someone without any added postage? Or does the pre-paid only cover one recipient,in this case myself?
thank you-