Ask a Mailman (City Letter Carrier) anything

1237 Questions

Last Answer on February 18, 2022

I received a letter back and it has stamped on it BOXED CLOSED RETURN TO SENDER...DOES THAT MEAN THE P.O. BOX NUMBER IS NOT GOOD

Asked by Jeremy over 10 years ago

I'm not sure what it means, but I'd gather that the renter of the PO Box either stopped paying the fee on the PO Box and it was closed or that they closed it on purpose. They also probably didn't put in a forwarding address which is why the label said "return to sender". It means the PO Box number exists but is not currently in use.

573 Votes

If i post a letter but didn't mean to can i go back and ask the postman if i can have it back before he takes it away

Asked by daniel over 10 years ago

I would give it back to you if I know who you are, or you can positively ID yourself, and if I can easily retrieve the letter. It's rarely happened to me and in each case in gave back the letter(s) to the sender. I can't speak to how another letter carrier would react to your request and I don't know if there are any rules specifically allowing or prohibiting this. We are not trained on how to handle this request as far as I can remember.

572 Votes

If I'm not putting my address on a letter that I'm mailing do I still have to put my city, state, and zip code?

Asked by Msjas92 over 10 years ago

Not at all. As far as I know, there is no requirement for any return address or partial return address. It is important for the destination address to be complete. This mainly would be an issue if you wanted to receive the item back to you in case it was undeliverable for any reason. I'd recommend putting a return address on a letter that is being mailed, but it's your decision and you probably have your reasons for not wanting to put one on the letter that you are mailing.

572 Votes

thank you. that's what i hoped. i said some things after i walked away(about 20 feet). no threats were made and nobody was touched. are you allowed to have phone plugs in your ears and the radio going in your truck where you can't hear people?

Asked by tn mom over 10 years ago

I don't like to quote too many rules here on jobstr with regards to what a letter carrier can and can't do. One of the main reasons is that many rules are barely told to us, if at all, and the enforcement of any rules seem so inconsistent even within a particular office. In our office we are told not to have both ears plugged with earphones while delivering mail (driving or walking). I use earphones but only have one ear plugged in. I wouldn't be surprised if some of my co-workers have them both plugged in, because "rules" are for other people, not them. I also think we are allowed to play a radio in our vehicles, but it shouldn't be that loud where you can't hear what's going on around you. That is rude and a safety concern as far as I see it. I'm glad that no threats were made and nobody was touched. I won't stick up for my fellow employees who have any type of bad attitude or poor work ethic or don't follow some basic courtesy rules.

572 Votes

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how late does the mail carrier run pls hlp thnx

Asked by deedee over 10 years ago

I don't know where you live but delivery is usually done by 5:30 or 6PM based on my experience. I suppose if an office is short-handed or the mail volume is too high then delivery may be much later. The route which I deliver in Long Island, NY generally is done by 3:30 PM if the mail volume (including parcels to deliver) is average. So you can see there is quite a range as to how late a letter carrier route can be and there are variables that make it hard to pinpoint when delivery will be on any given day. Thanks for your question.

572 Votes

What percentage of mail carriers would you say, are female?

Asked by Rose over 10 years ago

Based on the office where I work, there are about 25% female carriers. I can't say at all what it is at other locations. Lately, the CCAs who have been hired are more like 50% female. Some of them are quite petite so I don't know how they do the job lifting heavy parcels and walking with loaded mail satchels. I give them a lot of credit. I believe you should be able to lift up to 70 lbs, but I don't think that is tested and I see some carriers give their heavier parcels to a parcel post driver to deliver. I don't think that is necessarily fair that they don't have to carry the same load as I do, but I don't care enough to speak up or cause an unnecessary conflict.

571 Votes

I am from Paraguay and have sent four items to the US, all with tracking numbers. They went through the Miami ISC but it's been more than a month and there has been no further updates. What may have happened and what could I do?

Asked by renef09 about 11 years ago

I am thinking it may be held up in Customs, but am not sure if that happens before or after it gets to the ISC, or is maybe based in the Miami ISC. Do you know if the recipient is still looking for their items? Sometimes it doesn't get any more bar code scans before it is delivered but actually has been delivered. You could go to www.usps.com and maybe do an inquiry as to where the items could be but I don't have a lot of confidence that you will get any more info than is what you already have.

571 Votes

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Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

I received a letter back and it has stamped on it BOXED CLOSED RETURN TO SENDER...DOES THAT MEAN THE P.O. BOX NUMBER IS NOT GOOD

If i post a letter but didn't mean to can i go back and ask the postman if i can have it back before he takes it away

If I'm not putting my address on a letter that I'm mailing do I still have to put my city, state, and zip code?

thank you. that's what i hoped. i said some things after i walked away(about 20 feet). no threats were made and nobody was touched. are you allowed to have phone plugs in your ears and the radio going in your truck where you can't hear people?

Also on Jobstr...

how late does the mail carrier run pls hlp thnx

What percentage of mail carriers would you say, are female?

I am from Paraguay and have sent four items to the US, all with tracking numbers. They went through the Miami ISC but it's been more than a month and there has been no further updates. What may have happened and what could I do?

Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

I received a letter back and it has stamped on it BOXED CLOSED RETURN TO SENDER...DOES THAT MEAN THE P.O. BOX NUMBER IS NOT GOOD

If i post a letter but didn't mean to can i go back and ask the postman if i can have it back before he takes it away

If I'm not putting my address on a letter that I'm mailing do I still have to put my city, state, and zip code?

thank you. that's what i hoped. i said some things after i walked away(about 20 feet). no threats were made and nobody was touched. are you allowed to have phone plugs in your ears and the radio going in your truck where you can't hear people?

Also on Jobstr...

how late does the mail carrier run pls hlp thnx

What percentage of mail carriers would you say, are female?

I am from Paraguay and have sent four items to the US, all with tracking numbers. They went through the Miami ISC but it's been more than a month and there has been no further updates. What may have happened and what could I do?

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