Big Joe
Bronx, NY
Male, 31
I work in NYC for the USPS. I drive a 2 ton box truck and deliver packages that are too large for the regular letter carrier to take. I've been on my assignment for 5 years and a postal worker for almost 10. I spend most of my day running up and down stairs with heavy packages. I have to be on constant alert for dogs. Especially in apartment buildings with narrow hallways. I have lots of great customers and I love my job. All of my opinions are my own and I DO NOT speak for my employer.
Never. Even if someone wanted to, they couldn't. Let me explain. Each morning, the packages that belong to your route are scanned into the system as your assignment's parcels for the day. Every time you handle one, it has to be scanned (delivered, attempted, etc.) If one is entered into the system as attempted, you have to have it with you at the end of the day. If something is missing, they're gonna know. Nothing in the mail would EVER be worth your job.
My regularly scheduled work day is from 8am-4:30 pm. But depending on the mail volume and time of year (holidays are insanely busy) I will stay out until I'm finished. I also deliver regular mail when the supervisor asks me to, which adds time as well.
Ummm, since I work in the city, I'd have to say that delivering in the housing projects is probably the worst. The elevators are often broken and it forces me to use the stairs which are usually covered in human waste (use your imagination) and other things you don't want to step in/on. But I'm usually just in and out so it isn't that bad.
I re-tape/reinforce boxes almost every day. The biggest problem is when people ship items in old floppy boxes instead of new ones. Every once in a while we get one that's completely destroyed. When that happens, we have the customer come to the station to get it because I don't want them to think that I damaged it during delivery.
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What's the the stupidest IT question you've every gotten?I did see it. I was shocked at first, but then I thought about reasons why he might have done it. 1) He was either in a rush to finish, or he was covering someone's assignment. I'm not really sure how FedEx handles their day to day operations, he might have been thinking that if he returns to dispatch/station with an empty truck, they'll think he's a great worker and should be given more work. You see, many of the FedEx drivers I have met over the years are "contractors", they don't officially have a route. They get picked up by the company to deliver items, but don't work when the parcel volume is low. I think it works on a seniority basis. I'm not 100% on any of that, it's just what I've heard. 2) The box he threw was a laptop/monitor box. But that doesn't mean that's what was inside. People reuse boxes everyday and for all we know, there could have been balls of yarn or some other fabric in it. Maybe he felt the weight and knew from experience what it was, and that it wouldn't be damaged by tossing it over a fence. Whatever it was, it totally looked bad. I hope he didn't get fired over it. I won't even leave parcels in front of customer's doors. If I don't have access or if you're not home...you get a notice and can schedule a re-delivery or pick up your package at the post office if you wish. Thanks for your question.
There's been tons of funny moments I can think of including finding a cat in a mailbox, getting into a snowball fight with some neighborhood kids, and having a drunk guy accuse me of being a member of the KKK because I refused to give him his mail without an ID. But the all time top has to be this one time I rang a doorbell and this guy came to the door in a dress. Not a regular dress mind you, but a full on evening gown with his chest hair bursting out of the front and a beard that would make Chuck Norris jealous. I handed him the parcel and he just said "cool" with a deep voice and slammed the door closed. I got back in my truck and almost died of laughter. I think it was the straight look on his face that really put it over the top. Anyway, nothing has beat that since.....but I look foward to something that can.
AAHHHHH....The million dollar question. Technically, we aren't supposed to accept tips. Most people don't really tip anyway, At least where I work. I'm sure that carriers elsewhere make good money during the holidays, but I work in NYC.....and I guess times are hard lol. I guess you can try throwing your parcel post guy like $20, I'm sure he/she would appreciate it.
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