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.
I can't say for sure what happened to the letter, but if it were originally misdelivered it isn't likely to have taken more than a month and a half to get properly delivered to you. The delay could be explained if the original recipient held on to the letter for awhile without putting it back in the mail to be properly delivered. It certainly is possible that someone in your house took the mail and gave it to you later, but I don't know your household dynamics or relationships.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Did%20someone%20in%20my%20house%20take%20my%20mail%20after%20it%20was%20delivered%20and%20give%20it%20to%20me%20later%3F%20A%20letter%20was%20postmarked%202%2F11%2F15%2C%20I%20got%20it%203%2F28%2F15-%20the%20envelope%20didn%27t%20indicate%20it%20had%20been%20delivered%20to%20a%20wrong%20address%20first.%20So%20what%20else%20could%20explain%20the%20delay%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14862)
I used to do this but was then told that I really should take the 30 minute lunch within 6 hours of my BT (begin tour) time. I now take lunch from approximately 1300-1330. The new scanners that we have tells the mgmt where we are so they can see if we are sitting for 30 minutes at the end of the day instead of our approved lunch period. If the management doesn't give you a hard time about it, I don't see why not but the union and managers technically should be enforcing the 6-hour rule for taking a lunch break. I've become used to it so it's no big deal to take lunch when I'm supposed to and not at the end of the delivery route.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Is%20it%20okay%20to%20finish%20a%20route%20and%20take%20the%20half%20hour%20lunch%20at%20the%20end%20then%20drive%20back%20to%20office&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15914)
You are the right track with your question. C001, for example, would be City Route 1. I don't think there is a special ZIP code for the route #. What you could I address the item to "Letter Carrer C0001" and then the PO name and address and 5-digit ZIP code. I think the addl 4 digits for the ZIP code would be -9998 for mail going to the PO and not to a customer. Don't quote me on that last part. I've reread your question now. If you put C001-19046 on the top line of the address they might get the letter. I've never seen this done before but it does make sense. I would recommend addressing the envelope to "Letter Carrier C001", but it's your choice.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Thanks%20for%20the%20answer%2C%20but%20doesn%27t%20each%20carrier%20have%20a%20route%20number%2C%20like%20C001-19046%2C%20the%20last%20part%20being%20the%20zip%20code%20that%20they%20deliver%20to%3F%20%20So%20if%20I%20addressed%20it%20to%20Letter%20Carrier%20Route%20C001-19046%20he%20%2Fshe%20would%20get%20the%20letter%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15709)
Certainly. You may mail a letter from anywhere to anywhere as long as you apply the proper postage. You also can put your primary residence as your return address even if you mail the letter out from a different address.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20want%20to%20know%20if%20I%20have%20primary%20residence%20in%20one%20place%20and%20I%20realized%20that%20I%20need%20to%20send%20a%20piece%20of%20mail%20out%20but%20I%27m%20out%20of%20town%20and%20I%20need%20to%20send%20this%20mail%20immediately.%20%20Can%20I%20put%20my%20primary%20address%20but%20be%20able%20to%20send%20it%20out%20in%20a%20different%20city%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/13222)
Fashion Model
How much do promo girls at convention booths get paid?
Track and Field Coach
How often are your athletes tested for PEDs and is it easy to beat?
Swim Instructor
What are the physical traits that make for the "ideal swimmer's body"?
Sure, sometimes a carrier may forget that they have a package for an address and come back later to deliver it. It's also quite possible that some Priority Mail arrived at the PO after a letter carrier has left to deliver their route. In that case, another (or even your own) may be around later to deliver the priority Mail, but it is sometimes just left for the next delivery day if it arrived too late at the PO to send someone out or they may not even have to be delivered that day.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=do%20mailman%20sometimes%20deliver%20the%20mail%2C%20then%20come%20back%20around%20and%20do%20the%20priority%20packages%3F%20Especially%20if%20it%20is%20a%20substitue%20mail%20carrier%3F%20Thanks.&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14247)
If you don't have an auto-forward in effect for mail to go from the house you own to another address, then it shouldn't be a problem. I do think that leaving a note for the letter carrier is a great idea. If there is a forward on file then the letter carrier may not even see the letter before it is forwarded. The forwarding is often an automated system called PARS that redirects the mail prior to the original letter carrier seeing any mail to be forwarded. I hope this helps and thank your for the question.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20am%20expecting%20some%20mail%20in%20next%20few%20months%20at%20a%20house%20I%20own%20%26%20rent%20to%20tenants.%20%20How%20can%20I%20ensure%20USPS%20will%20deliver%20it%20to%20that%20address%3F%20%20I%20do%20not%20wish%20to%20have%20it%20auto-forwarded%20to%20another%20address.%20Should%20I%20just%20leave%20a%20note%20for%20the%20mailman%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14261)
I will certainly tell you my experience, but keep in mind that everybody is different in how they handle a job and how hard they want to work and under what conditions. To sum up before I get into the details, I really like the job a lot, but the management and some co-workers aren't so great. When you first start out as a letter carrier, you will likely be a CCA , a city carrier asst, which doesn't guarantee you too many hrs/week, lower pay ($15.50/hr apprx) and minimal benefits. As time goes on and others retire or leave the USPS for various reasons you'd become a FT regular letter carrier with a guarantee of 40 hrs/wk minimum plus health, retirement, paid time off benefits. The pro of the job for me is that you get decent pay and benefits and security for a job that requires a low amt of education (though I do have a college degree), exercise on walking routes and much of the day (apprx 6 hours) away from the office not having to deal with co-workers or management who can be vile or aggravating. There are some very nice people I work with. I generally just see my co-workers for a couple of hours in the AM and maybe 10-20 minutes before we go home at apprx 4:30 PMG. Over the years I've had some health issues which required extended absences. While I can't say the employer was great to deal with during the absence I didn't worry about losing my job and was paid for some of the time I was out (using paid sick leave). Depending on where you work geographically, weather can be issue and you need to be prepared to be outside for many hours per day. The staffing at my office has been a bit low for awhile and there is a lack of quality workers replacing them. This has resulted in a lot of Overtime work available (a good thing or me), but also a lot of mandatory work even for those who don't want it (not so good). It's also difficult to get time off unless you have a vacation block picked out. I also happen to be a bit of a perfectionist with regards to delivering mail accurately and this job works well with my organizational skills. From my experience, more people like to be negative about the job than positive. I understand some of their complaints and feelings, but I choose to be positive and grateful for what I have and not dwell on the little stuff. I tune out then negativity the best I can and do my job. Good luck to you and please ask any more specific questions if you have them.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%27m%20considering%20looking%20into%20a%20job%20with%20the%20Postal%20Service%2C%20I%27ve%20read%20a%20lot%20of%20negative%20reviews%20online%2C%20but%20would%20like%20to%20know%20first%20hand%20what%20it%27s%20like%20working%20for%20the%20postal%20service.%20Can%20you%20tell%20me%20your%20personal%20pros%20and%20cons%20of%20the%20job%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14840)
-OR-
Login with Facebook (max 20 characters - letters, numbers, and underscores only. Note that your username is private, and you have the option to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)
(A valid e-mail address is required. Your e-mail will not be shared with anyone.)
(min 5 characters)
By checking this box, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to Jobstr.com’s Terms and Privacy Policy.
-OR-
Register with Facebook(Don't worry: you'll be able to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)
Browse Jobs
Host a Q&A
Search
Submit Your Question
Host a Q&A
Last 7
