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.
If you are referring to the forever stamps which are bought in a SSK (sales and service kiosk) which come in sheets of 10 for 4.90 and then are printed out on what looks like stickers there is no information on that scan that I'm aware of. I realize it has a code that looks like it is scannable. If you purchase postage to mail a package the label that is printed out to put on the package does have a scannable USPS tracking # which can be used with the Track function on the iphone USPS app. Thanks for the question and I do buy stamps from the SSK myself. It is so easy to use.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20was%20wondering%20about%20the%20scan%20app%20on%20the%20new%20standard%20postage%20stamp%20you%20buy%20at%20the%20machines%20inside%20the%20post%20office%2Cwhich%20are%20different%20from%20normal%20stamps.%20And%20what%20info%20comes%20up%20when%20you%20scan%20them%20with%20your%20Iphone%3F%20So%20far%20it%20hasn%27t%20yet%20worked%20for%20me&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14085)
I don't know the answer to that. I can't imagine that there are too many situations to get into conflict with a customer. I would usually walk away from most situations that could get out of hand. Anyhow, they shouldn't threaten to stop the mail because of the "words" unless there was a physical threat made by you, which it doesn't sound like. If, by chance, you notice mail not being delivered, you could contact a delivery supervisor or Postmaster or manager to tell them what happened and ask why you didn't receive mail when you were supposed to. I hope that cooler heads prevail. I have a few jerky customers that I deliver mail too, but I don't let it bother me. They continue to get the exact same quality service as everybody else I deliver mail to. I hope that cooler heads prevail in your situation and that the mail service isn't interrupted. Thanks for writing with your q.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=i%20had%20%22not%20nice%20words%22%20with%20a%20substitute%20driver%20the%20other%20day%20and%20she%20threatened%20to%20stop%20my%20mail.%20%20Can%20she%20really%20stop%20it%20because%20we%20had%20words.&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15733)
Amy, it's been awhile since I've worked in extreme heat (mid-90s and above would be my unscientific definition), but I'll just give you some generic advice. The suggestions I have are: 1) Keep hydrated. Even if you aren't thirsty just keep drinking. Many liquids are lost through perspiration, and if you need to take more bathroom breaks, you just do so. It is rare I get a headache from the extreme heat and I credit that to drinking water or other non-diuretic liquids. 2) Wear as light as clothing as possible. 3) Keep your head covered with a wide-brimmed hat to protect from the sunlight. I've found this to be more comfortable then not wearing a hat. 4) Don't exert yourself too much. The pressures of the job have some letter carriers rushing through their routes, but that could tire you out quickly if it is very hot outside. I keep a moderate, rational, pace, and if anyone ever questioned why it took longer to deliver a mail route (not common to be questioned especially in weather extremes), I'd just say it was for health and safety reasons. As an aside, the heat never bothered me compared to very cold conditions. I realize that you can cover yourself sufficiently when it's extremely cold, but my extremities still hurt when exposed. It's difficult for me to feel the mail if my fingers aren't touching the mail directly. I hope this helps. Basically, it comes down to preparation and hydration.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=How%20do%20you%20survive%20the%20extreme%20heat%3F%20Also%20after%20a%20long%20hot%20day%20do%20you%20get%20a%20headache%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15240)
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)
Private Detective
What do you think is the most corrupt industry, city, and State in the country?
Casino Marketer
What's the most unethical thing you've seen casinos do to "part you from your dollars?"
Obstetrician Gynecologist
Do you find it creepy when men want to go into gynecology?
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 agree that using postal delivery vehicles to deliver the mail curbside would be more efficient than door to door delivery by a walking letter carrier. There would be more gasoline consumed by these engines running for many hours per day but you would still probably save money versus the costs of a carrier walking door to door and not being able to deliver in the same number of houses in the same amount of time. I deliver mostly by walking from house to house and some neighborhoods in the town where I work have curbside delivery. Those routes do have more delivery points than the one I deliver. The two factors that I can think of for not transitioning everyone to curbside are as follows: 1) I've never heard of the USPS forcing anyone to move a mailbox from their house to the curbside. Who would incur that cost? There would probably be a lot of pushback from customers who have delivery to their front door. 2) Many neighborhoods don't have the streetscape to handle mounted (curbside) deliveries. If the houses are too close together you will have many cars parked on the street which make it difficult for the letter carrier to access the mailbox from the mail truck. In these cases, the letter carrier must perform a time-consuming dismount procedure if they want to deliver the mail to the house with a mailbox they can't access directly from the mail truck. It works fine in most suburban and rural areas but in a tighter density environment , the economics of it may not work. I, for one, love to walk from house to house and get exercise while delivering the mail, but understand your question about how curbside delivery could be more efficient. Thank you for the observant question.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Hi...I%20live%20in%20a%20town%20in%20Illinois%2C%20where%20the%20mailman%20walks%20from%20house%20to%20house.%20Towns%20around%20me%20use%20mailtrucks%2C%20which%20has%20to%20be%20more%20efficient.%20%20%0A%0AConsidering%20that%20the%20usps%20is%20looking%20to%20cut%20costs%2C%20why%20would%20they%20not%20transition%20everyone%20to%20curbside%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15643)
I believe it would be okay to write in a mailbox the number of the address in case it wasn't clear. They shouldn't be writing much else either on or or in the mailbox. This is my opinion and don't know the rules about this. As a letter carrier, my main frustration in delivering mail on a route I'm not familiar with is a missing house number. I have written numbers inside the lid of a mailbox in the past, but it was with a pen and hard to discern on dark metal. I don't think the name of the occupant should be written on the box by the letter carrier.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Is%20a%20mailman%20allowed%20to%20write%20on%20your%20mailbox&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15901)
-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
