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'll tell you what I do in this situation (which is common) but I can't say what each carrier will do and I'm sure it also varies by location. We deliver many parcels that won't fit into a mailbox. I bring the item to the front door of the house and leave it on the side of the door. I rarely ring a door bell since I don't need to see anybody to give the mail to. I also work in a neighborhood where mail/package theft is close to non-existent. If you live an apartment building or an area where mail can't just be left near a front door then the letter carrier might leave a PS 3849 Delivery Notice/Reminder/Receipt to notify the recipient that we have mail for you to retrieve from the PO or allow you to authorize delivery and leave mail at a specified location.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=What%20do%20you%20do%20if%20the%20mail%20does%20not%20fit%20in%20the%20mailbox%20%0AExample%3A%20there%20is%20a%20box%20to%20go%20into%20the%20mailbox%20but%20it%20doesn%27t%20fit%20for%20whatever%20reason%2C%20what%20do%20you%20do%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15999)
Are you referring to having a pen for a signature of accountable mail like a certified or registered item? I would say we are supposed to carry a pen because we sometimes have to leave a notice that we attempted a delivery but were not able to leave the item for whatever reason. With the current mail data collection device items can be signed for directly on an electronic screen with a stylus or fingernail. No pen is required unless the sender has requested a return receipt to be signed. Basically it is good practice to carry a pen at all times while delivering the mail.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Are%20you%20supposed%20to%20carry%20an%20ink%20pen%20so%20letters%20that%20require%20one%20can%20be%2C%20and%20you%20can%20carry%20on%20with%20your%20day%2C%20or%20is%20it%20the%20recipients%20responsibility%20to%20have%20an%20ink%20pen%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16363)
Your typo of putting Churchhill instead of Churchill on the eBay order shouldn't cause any delivery issues. Items mailed often have spelling errors and typos. As long as the postal service personnel can figure out what was meant by the mailer or be able to decipher unclear handwriting, the item will usually be delivered properly. The delay in the delivery is probably for another reason, but I don't know what that is. I presume the item wasn't sent with any tracking number or that would be able to provide you with some more guidance as to where the item is.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20ordered%20an%20item%20on%20Ebay%20which%20was%20to%20be%20sent%20from%20China%20to%20Canada.%20After%20being%20over%20due%20I%20checked%20my%20Ebay%20invoice%20and%20discovered%20I%20spelled%20Churchill%20%20as%20Churchhill.%20Everything%20else%20being%20correct%20is%20that%20typo%20enough%20to%20cause%20delivery%20problems.&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15618)
I can't quote the statute that says it is illegal for the letter carrier to discuss with others the fact that your sister was in jail, however it is entirely inappropriate and probably against postal regulations re: sanctity and confidentiality of the mail. I see mail going to/from prison while delivering the mail but never say a word to anybody about it. I'm not sure if you want to discuss it with your letter carrier to tell him how wrong it was to say anything to anybody. I also don't know it it would go anywhere if you complained to the USPS about his behavior. Legally, you may also need proof or witnesses if in fact it is illegal what the letter carrier divulged to others. I know I'd be very upset if I found out my letter carrier was talking about things they should be confidential about, but not sure what avenue I would take to resolve it.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=My%20sister%20was%20recently%20in%20jail.%20Our%20mail%20carrier%20saw%20letters%20from%20us%20going%20to%20her%20at%20the%20jail%20and%20has%20been%20telling%20a%20lot%20of%20people%20about%20her%20being%20in%20jail.%20Is%20this%20legal%20for%20him%20to%20do%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16156)
Casino Marketer
What's the most unethical thing you've seen casinos do to "part you from your dollars?"
CPR Trainer
Is it possible to perform CPR on animals?
Lifeguard
Did you ever have to perform CPR or mouth-to-mouth on a swimmer?
Thanks for the compliment PK. I've been delivering mail for more than 16 years now. I've had a lot of personal ups and downs, mostly off the job, but glad to have continued to work and have the job security of the USPS. If you mean delivering mail for 7 hours, I think that would be hard for most people. But if you mean 7 hours street time that is a bit different because then you'd factor in loading time,lunch and breaks and travel time to/from your route. The route I deliver is approximately 6:40 total but only 5:20 Apprx is actually delivering mail. It's not too exhausting except if the mail load is heavy. My hints are to try to be as organized as you can, don't engage in too much small talk with the customers, and get a good nights rest and have a healthy breakfast. That all works for me. Everybody is different plus the difficulty of the route may vary between cities. I deliver on a flat terrain besides walking up steps to the mailboxes. If you have to walk a lot of hills that could make you more tired. Good luck to you and what might be a 7-hour route could take you longer or shorter based on the above factors.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=With%20you%20having%20longevity%20as%20a%20carrier%20your%20service%20is%20appreciated%21%20With%20your%20expertise%20do%20you%20think%20it%20would%20be%20hard%20to%20carry%20a%207hr%20route%20for%20a%20rookie%20carrier%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15911)
Liz, I am no expert in giving advice on how to get more work as an RCA. I believe if you work, you get one-day of pay. There are no partial days. The nature of being a Rural Carrier Asssociate is that there are no guarantees of hours that I'm aware of per week. You are utilized to cover days off for career rural carriers if they call in sick, have annual leave, or have a day off each week or every other week. It can be frustrating not getting much work. My advice is to have a great attitude, be prompt in your attendance for work and do as accurate a job as possible when delivering the mail. Each office is different in how much work the employees get, especially when it's a non-career position like RCA or CCA (City Carrier Assistant). If there are CCA positions available nearby, you may want to consider it. They may work more frequently and can be paid for part of a workday if there are only a few hours of work available. From what I observe and read on FB groups, most CCAs are overworked, not underworked (which is your situation). Another option is to see if any RCA work is available in nearby Post Offices. We have one RCA who works in at least 2 Post Offices. Please mention to the manager or Postmaster that you are eager to have any available work as an RCA. Good luck and please be patient. You are brand new to the USPS.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=i%27m%20RCA%20in%20my%20city.%20I%27l%20be%20in%20the%20job%20for%202%20month.%20But%20now%20they%20only%20with%20me%202%20days%20on%20the%20week.%20I%27m%20very%20frustrated%20%2C%20i%20really%20need%20to%20work.%20They%20tell%20me%20they%20are%20well%20pleased%20with%20my%20development.%20But%20i%20need%20to%20work..Please%20what%20i%20have%20to%20do%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15400)
It should come to your residential address. There are probably millions of people who run businesses from their home address and it's no issue as far as I know to receive mail at a residential address for a business. If you were concerned about this, you could put a visible note inside or on your mailbox with the name of your company or saying "accepting mail for (insert name of company) so that there is no confusion to your letter carrier. There really shouldn't be any confusion. I just deliver the mail by address and if the recipient or company name is incorrect they could leave the mail out for me to have it returned to the sender.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Will%20mail%20with%20my%20company%20name%20on%20it%20still%20come%20to%20my%20residential%20address&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15693)
-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
