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 believe it would be rare for someone to receive mail at your address when they didn't put on a forwarding order and then to actually know about it. Certainly mail could be mis-delivered to your house, but how would that person know unless you contacted them somehow? I deliver mail only as addressed with a couple of exceptions. If I can see that the sender addressed it wrong (usually a wrong house #, but the correct street), I would likely deliver it to the address where the person lives. Even if someone moved in the same town but didn't put in a forwarding order, we aren't allowed to just "hand off" the mail to their new address. I did recently notice that a woman (her parents live on the route I deliver) had a piece of mail with her name on it but the address to be delivered to was in Maryland. I know the woman is now receiving mail at her parents home and likely has a forwarding order from Maryland to her parents house in NY. The letter may have been automatically re-routed to NY with the new addresses bar code put on the envelope and the letter then arrived in the computer-sorted mail for the NY address. I just delivered it knowing that the surnames matched. I hope this answers your question and thanks for writing.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Claims%20he%20received%20mail%20at%20our%20house%20that%20was%20addressed%20to%20his%20previous%20address%20%28same%20town%29.%20I%20don%27t%20believe%20him%2C%20%26%20I%27m%20curious%2C%20could%2Fwould%20a%20postman%2Fwoman%20deliver%20post%20to%20a%20different%20address%20than%20what%20is%20marked.%20%28Did%20not%20sign%20up%20for%20forwarding%29&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14419)
I am not sure what a city flyer is, but I am guessing it was some type of communication from your city or it was an advertisement. If it said "postal customer" on it, it likely was delivered by the USPS. Another way is to check if there is an indicia on it. That is a square usually in the upper right hand corner of the mailpiece that says "prst std, US mail, paid" or something like that. That is proof of postage. We often deliver mailings that say "postal customer". Basically it means that each address receives this piece of mail. Sometimes it is residential only and sometimes it goes to all business and residential customers.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=There%20was%20a%20city%20flyer%20in%20my%20mailbox%20it%20said%20postal%20customer.%20Does%20that%20mean%20the%20mailman%20brought%20it&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15329)
This definitely happens all the time. I would hope that we try to deliver every package but if we haven't organized our deliveries well enough, we may forget to deliveran online purchase. The parcel would then be brought back to the Post Office and probably be delivered the next delivery day.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=What%20happens%20if%20the%20mailman%20forgets%20to%20put%20an%20online%20purchase%20in%20your%20mailbox%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15407)
It doesn't sound reasonable to me to even have a 14-mile walking route to begin with. That is walking more than a half-marathon daily. If you had zero mail to deliver and walked 14 miles you may be able to cover the route in 4 hours if walk at 3.5 MPH. That is faster than most people walk or at least about the average walking speed. Please tell your boyfriend to do the best he can, walk safely, and that the rate he is being asked to walk at is unrealistic. I just did a quick internet search for "average walking speed" and it is 3.1 MPH. This doesn't include delivering mail or any weight added if your boyfriend is carrying a satchel of mail. USPS management is known for being unreasonable at times.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=My%20boyfriend%20is%20just%20started%20working%20for%20the%20USPS%20and%20has%20only%20been%20by%20himself%20for%202%20days%20and%20they%20are%20complaining%20that%20he%20isn%27t%20going%20fast%20enough.%20It%27s%20a%2014%20mile%20walking%20round%20and%20the%20want%20him%20to%20start%20at%208.30%20and%20be%20done%20by%2012.30%20is%20this%20realistic%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15419)
Antiques Dealer
Does a piece's value increase significantly if it has a cool "back-story" to go along with it?
Farmer
Do friends with office jobs look down on what you do?
Veterinarian
Who are the bigger hypochondriacs: dog owners or cat owners?
Kim, that is generally what would happen if you came up to my postal vehicle to hand me outgoing letters. I have a small square tray which is raised on 4 sides where I put the outgoing letters and bring back to the post office for dispatch. Some use a bin or a larger tray depending on the outgoing mail volume. So in a word, nothing to worry about it and good question.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=The%20mail%20man%20came%20to%20my%20house%20before%20I%20could%20put%20the%202%20letter%20I%20needed%20to%20mail%20out%20so%20I%20chased%20him%20down%20since%20I%20heard%20the%20truck.%20He%20looked%20at%20the%202%20letters%20and%20then%20dumped%20it%20into%20a%20white%20bin%20by%20his%20legs.%20Is%20this%20what%27s%20supposed%20to%20happen%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16231)
I see on a map you are referring to towns in MN that are about 55 miles apart. That's the mileage from Chaska, MN to Zimmerman, MN. I'd say it's approximately 2 days to get from the origin to the destination. For example, if the letter was mailed on a Tuesday before the collection deadline it should be delivered by Thursday. I hope this answers your question. It's also not a good idea to send actual cash through the mail if you can avoid it.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=If%20someone%20sends%20you%20mail%20today%20from%20Chaska%20and%20Elk%20River%20what%20day%20will%20it%20show%20up%20in%20Zimmerman%3F%20Let%27s%20say%20if%20someone%20needs%20money%20for%20a%20form%20thing%20and%20they%20send%20it%20that%20day%20how%20long%20will%20it%20take%20to%20show%20up%20at%20that%20place%20they%20sent%20it%20at%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16498)
The only suggestion I'd have is to have your daughter or you contact the PO which delivers the mail to her and see if the key may still be in the mailbox for another resident and/or the package is still in the lockbox. It is disconcerting that if another resident errantly got the key and/or package that they wouldn't deliver it to the intended recipient. As a letter carrier I can tell you we make delivery mistakes on a somewhat regular basis. I am pretty accurate (though not 100%..nobody is) in my delivery, but some carriers don't care as much or are unfamiliar with an area and sometimes rush which can result in mistakes. I understand that the tracking is only somewhat helpful because it shows as delivered to the lock box but that doesn't help if your daughter didn't get the key.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20recently%20sent%20a%20pkg.%20to%20my%20grandson.%20The%20tracking%20%23%20says%20it%20was%20delivered%20and%20put%20in%20the%20lock%20box%20but%20my%20daughter%20says%20there%20is%20no%20key%20in%20her%20box.%20I%20am%20so%20afraid%20someone%20else%20got%20the%20key%20by%20mistake.%20What%20do%20we%20do%3F%20This%20is%20a%20priceless%20gift.%20Thanks&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16027)
-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
