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)
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)
If someone writes the wrong address but a letter carrier recognizes the name as to where the letter should go, it may be delivered correctly. If we can't figure out where the letter should go and there is a valid return address on the letter, we may send the letter back endorsed "Attempted, not Known" referring to the incorrect address that was written on the envelope.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=What%20if%20someone%20send%20u%20mail%20but%20right%20the%20wrong%20address&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14301)
It doesnt sound too common to me though it doesn't surprise me at all when I hear this story. If a carrier has an item that needs a signature or needs to be handed to someone personally then they should make an attempt to ring the bell or knock on the door. If you live in an area where snow or ice would prevent them from getting to your door then it is appropriate to leave the PS Form 3849 in your mailbox. Sometimes the carriers are too lazy or under a lot of time pressure to get done so they may cut corners when it's time consuming to go to one's door. This is not a legitimate excuse, but I'm not surprised by what happens. In my office we are pretty short staffed as of late and I see quite a bit of mail not getting delivered correctly or in a timely fashion. It's pretty pathetic if you ask me. The rough winter in the Northeastern US with a lot of snow, etc. doesn't help matters. On a side note, I'm not a fan of your user name as it denotes profanity which is not very classy. Just my opinion, of course.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=So%20I%20was%20home%20all%20day%20and%20received%20from%203849%20as%20far%20as%20I%20can%20tell%20guy%20never%20left%20his%20truck.%20%20When%20is%20a%20carrier%20supposed%20to%20fill%20out%20the%20form%20an%20why%20did%20my%20working%20doorbell%20not%20ring%3F%20Is%20this%20common%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14593)
Special Education Teacher
How come it often takes years to figure out that a kid is dyslexic?
Inner City English Teacher
What was the saddest student journal entry you've read?
Parcel Delivery Mailman
Does labeling a package "fragile" actually lead to you handling it with more care?
It sounds suspicious or odd that your letter carrier is speeding past your house and skipping delivery with nothing apparent to block their access to your mailbox. It could be that you have no mail addressed to your house that day, but you would know better than me if you should be getting a delivery daily. I would call or somehow contact your local post office and ask to speak with a delivery supervisor or manager and mention it to them. Out of 6 delivery days a week, I would guess about 4 of them have some type of mailing that goes to each address which I service. I can't say it's the same for your town. It is also a bit strange that when you have another mail carrier they deliver the mail.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=What%20does%20it%20mean%20when%20the%20mailman%20skips%20your%20house%3F%20My%20mailman%20deliberately%20speeds%20pass%20my%20house.%20Theres%20nothing%20blocking%20the%20mailbox.%20This%20has%20been%20going%20on%20for%202%20wks.%20Every%20other%20day%20or%20so%20theres%20a%20mailman%20who%20does%20deliver%20the%20mail.%20Why%20isn%27t%20he%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15629)
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
