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

lost a certified in outgoing mail, when came back from route will it come in dps or back to post office. could they discipline me or just let it go if the letter turns up

Asked by jvitto48 almost 11 years ago

I would hope they let it go, but I can't say for sure what will happen to you. It should come back in the DPS or via your registry clerk. Hopefully it won't just disappear. I haven't heard of anybody being disciplined for this, but I work in a pretty small environment and don't know what happens in other offices. I hope it shows up, works out for you, and learn to be a bit more careful in the future with the accountable mail.

588 Votes

My mail man left a note in my mail box saying that he would not deliver my mail until i move my car, which is parked on the street a few houses down my house. The note has no reference to an authority...just his note. My mail box is not blocked.

Asked by mayra about 11 years ago

I don't think the mailman should have left you a notice saying that unless you are blocking someone's mailbox down the street. Even if you were blocking another mailbox down the street, I don't believe he has any authority to suspend delivery to your house because of it. We can leave notes in a mailbox though there are some official notes we can leave like "your mailbox needs attention." I don't know if you want to approach your letter carrier directly and explain that your car has nothing to do with blocking your mailbox (which you said isn't blocked, period). If mail delivery doesn't resume I would suggest contacting your delivery post office and speaking with a delivery supervisor about this. From what you've described, this sounds like an irrational situation.

587 Votes

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 over 10 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.

587 Votes

Are certified letters delivered on Saturdays?

Asked by Baglet about 10 years ago

Yes, certified mail is attempted on Saturday to be delivered. A person must be present to sign for Certified Mail items unless prior written authorization has been given to the Post Office by the intended recipient. Certified Mail is considered accountable mail meaning the letter carriers have to sign that they received the certified mail and then at the end of our shift we must return the attempted certified mail (if nobody was available to accept it at the delivery point) or return proof of delivery (now done electronically) to the registry clerk at the Post Office.

587 Votes

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My stupid roomate keeps yelling at me when the mailman hands me the mail while i am outside and so they dont pick up outgoing mail. He says it is illegal, is it? Is there anywhere to.find this information so he will shut up! We love our postman!

Asked by Kelsey over 10 years ago

I think it's fine for the letter carrier to hand you the mail outside, but I also think it's a good idea for the letter carrier to inquire if there may be any outgoing mail. The mail should also be visible in the mailbox so the letter carrier can see that there is outgoing mail. I've never been told it's illegal to hand someone the mail especially if they are personally known to the letter carrier. If it were illegal, I'd hope that our mgmt or training manuals (which I've almost never seen) would address that question.

585 Votes

If i put money in the letter and sent it by mailing to my neighborhood would the postman see the money that is inside and still it

Asked by shien hwee about 11 years ago

It is generally not a great idea to send cash through the US Mail but I think it is highly unlikely that a letter carrier would be the one to steal anything out of the mail. Most of us don't even think twice about what is inside an envelope as we get probably a couple of thousand envelopes each day to deliver. It is also unlikely for a letter to get stolen at all. If you are concerned about this and still want to send cash in an envelope I would wrap the money in a sheet of paper so it can't be seen through an envelope. If it is inside a greeting card we wouldn't be able to see it.

585 Votes

What steps should I take if a postal carrier overlooked my mail

Asked by shakita over 10 years ago

Shakita, I'm not sure what you mean by the postal carrier overlooked the mail. Do you mean that they looked inside it when they shouldn't have? If you know this for sure, I'd call or visit your nearby PO and speak with a delivery supervisor. It would seem hard to prove though I don't know the details in your case. If you meant that the postal carrier overlooked an outgoing piece of mail and forgot to take it, I'd recommend making it very visible to them next time and if it becomes a problem, please leave a note saying "please take outgoing mail. Thank you". I hope I have answered your question whichever way you intended it.

584 Votes

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