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.
Vbjmin, you ask a question that I'd love to know the perfect answer to as I've been struggling with this issue from the beginning of my postal career. Cold hands are really hard to tolerate especially when you will be out delivering hours and they must be nimble enough to finger the mail. I wear a glove (thick or thin) on the hand where I hold the mail and cradle the flats since I don't need that hand to finger the mail. The hand that I use to finger the mail and deliver the mail I try to wear a thinner and sometimes fingerless glove or one with small gripping dots on them This has worked okay over the years. Another item which can be useful is "hot hands" which are small single-use packets that form a chemical reaction and heat up for several hours. You can put those in your pocket or even inside your glove. I have rarely used these but my girlfriend, not a letter carrier, loves them. I have purchased many pairs of gloves over the years. It's just a matter of finding the ones that keep you warm enough but allows you to still feel the mail. Thanks for writing and winter is my least favorite season to deliver mail.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=How%20do%20you%20keep%20your%20hands%20warm%20in%20cold%20weather%20while%20holding%20or%20gripping%2C%20fingering%20and%20delivering%20a%20mail%20bundle%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/13960)
As far as I know, the break rules for city carriers are similar nationwide. We are allowed 30 minutes for lunch, up to 2 10-minute breaks plus unlimited comfort breaks (to use a bathroom). It really wouldn't be odd if the carrier was home 2-3 times a day but only one time should be more than 10 minutes (lunch time). Some carriers may have a lot of downtime on their routes if they move quickly or the mail volume is light, but my experience is that it's not a huge amt of extra time. I'm sure others will disagree with me. To answer your second question, a child shouldn't be riding along in a USPS vehicle. If the carrier is using their own vehicle that may or may not be against the rules. Either way, nobody but authorized USPS employees should be touching the mail and putting it into a community box. I'm not sure how much would get done or how much this bothers you, but you could always call the Post Office and speak with a delivery supervisor, manager or Postmaster.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=We%20have%20a%20mailman%20that%20lives%20in%20our%20area%20that%20is%20home%20multiple%20times%20a%20day.%20What%20are%20the%20rules%20for%20breaks%3F%20The%20same%20mailman%20also%20delivers%20to%20our%20boxes%20and%20lets%20his%20kid%20ride%20in%20his%20truck%20and%20put%20mail%20in%20our%20community%20box.%20Is%20this%20against%20rules%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15517)
Yes, if a school is open or not has no direct bearing on whether or not the US Mail gets delivered. That being said, if a school is closed due to extreme weather, it is possible that we can't deliver the mail either. Generally it would take a pretty heavy snowfall and unplowed roads to stop us from delivering the mail. In my career as a letter carrier, we have only suspended delivery a few times due to poor weather. Our delivery vehicles are very poor on icy and snowy roads which is quite unsafe and makes me a bit nervous to drive in those poor conditions.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=If%20schools%20close%20will%20you%2Fa%20mailmen%20or%20women%20still%20come%20to%20deliver%20us%20our%20newspapers%20or%20mail%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14272)
I dont know what you can do for sure to stop the owner's mail from being delivered to your unit if it has your apt # on it. Your neighbor may have contacted some companies to get them to change it, but I imagine names and addresses are often sold from one company to the next which results in the wrong address being distributed to other mailers. You can put a note in your mailbox saying "please only deliver mail for (insert your name(s) here" and that may stop your neighbors mail from being delivered to you. You are correct that it is your neighbors responsibility to advise senders of their correct address if the want to receive their mail.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Hello-%0A%0AI%20live%20in%20a%20standalone%20condo%20complex%20with%204%20units%2C%20and%20I%20keep%20getting%20mail%20from%20certain%20senders%20for%20the%20owners%20upstairs%20because%20they%20seem%20to%20have%20specified%20my%20unit%20%23.%20%20I%20left%20a%20note%20for%20them%20to%20fix%20this%2C%20but%20it%20has%20not%20stopped.%20What%20can%20I%20do%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/13518)
TV Meteorologist
What were your worst on-screen bloopers?
Antiques Dealer
If you buy an item that turns out to be stolen, do you have to turn it over to the police?
Veterinarian
How do you break the news to a kid when his pet dies?
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)
Mike, I believe it takes several months before your probation is over and you receive a uniform allowance. I don't know for sure what the uniform regulations are, but the CCAs in my office where jeans and t-shirts mainly. They should tell you at orientation what is acceptable and not acceptable. The shoes must not be open-toed. I may have worn sneakers during my probationary period. The shoes that are purchased with the uniform allowance can easily cost $80 and up. Good luck to you and work safely.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Im%20a%20new%20CCA%20and%20im%20wondering%20what%20the%20uniform%20regulations%20are%20if%20we%20dont%20have%20an%20offical%20uniform%20yet.%20Do%20i%20wear%20board%20shorts%2C%20collared%20shirt%20or%20what%3F%20How%20about%20shoes%3F%20Leather%20shoes%20are%20expensive%2C%20what%20can%20i%20wear%20instead%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14743)
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)
-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
