Ask a Mailman (City Letter Carrier) anything

1237 Questions

Last Answer on February 18, 2022

What draws the line with that I can and can't ask the mail-carrier? More specifically, I wanted to ask them about potential lawn-care leads on their route. Im a college student starting small-time gig in a competitive market.Is this Exploitation?

Asked by Dr. Ninja_Cowboy almost 10 years ago

In my opinion you can ask a letter carrier anything you want but you may get a whole variety of replies that run the gamut from helpful to not being interested. I don't know any rules on what they can and can't help you with but the letter carrier should always protect the confidentiality of the customer and any mail they receive. That is pretty sacred. To give you a personal answer, nobody has ever approached me about getting leads about anything except maybe real estate agents. To be fair, I wouldn't be interested in helping anybody get potential leads for anything. I feel it is entirely unprofessional to do. A real estate agent may say to me I'll give you a referral commission if I know of anybody selling their house. I may accept their business card but not do anything else. To sum up, I don't know what you can and can't ask a letter carrier, but I feel it's unprofessional and possibly unethical to assist salespeople working in the area.

610 Votes

I wanted to add my business to my rural delivery box vs a po box. I was given the driver's cell number and told that if it was o.k. with him, I should then submit an updated card. Was she drunk or do drivers decide who qualifies to receive mail?

Asked by capecod over 10 years ago

I don't know anything about cards that need to be submitted so that mail can be received at rural mailboxes, but I'm also not familiar with rural route procedures in general. I don't see why mail that has a valid address regardless of the name of the resident/business which is on the mail wouldn't be delivered unless the recipient refuses it. I have no authority as a city letter carrier to decide who qualifies to receive mail. I deliver mail to an address unless it's a previous resident or an unknown name which the current resident doesn't know or want to accept. It's very normal to have someone run a business from their home. I think it was proper of you to check with your local PO to ask about this but I wouldn't have thought you would receive the answer you did. If you wanted to, you could tape a small note inside of your mailbox saying "accepting mail for (name of business)". That would remove any doubt in the mind of a rural carrier whether or not the business name is valid at your address. To answer the first part of your q, I hope the postal worker wasn't drunk, just giving you wrong info.

610 Votes

I would like to write a letter to a mailman in anothet city. I know which office he works in...If I address it to him with the office address will he receive it? Or is there a certain way I can address it so they know it's for an employee?

Asked by EG almost 10 years ago

I think there's an excellent chance that he will receive a letter if you adress it to the post office in the city where that letter carrier works, saying "Attention: (Letter Carrier ______)" on the top line of the address. Either the clerk or the supervisor/postmaster that handles internal mail should give the letter to the letter carrier. It's possible that an office my frown on having personal mail sent to a letter carrier in an office but I don't think it should be an issue as long as it's not a frequent occurrence. I've never come across this situation so I can't say for sure it will work, but I think it should. Thank you for your question.

610 Votes

Hi, I deliver a route and a half all walking consisting of 15 Loops. First time I was told it is a 4 hours work load then 2 weeks later it became 3 and now it is 2 hours work load all the same walking route. How many hours should it take me ?

Asked by Hot for Mail over 10 years ago

I don't know how long 15 loops should take you. It depends on the amount of houses per loop, the terrain, the spacing of the residences, and the volume of mail. Each letter carrier also works at a different pace. In the office where I work, in one hour we can usually get 4 loops done in one hour if they average 17-22 stops per loop. This is by no means standard and just what I've experienced. I can see it being different where you work. Continue to work safely and accurately. It seems odd that the same amt of loops started out as 4 hrs and decreased to 2 hours. If you feel the time allowed is unreasonable, please speak up if questioned why it took so long. In the example/pace I gave you, 15 loops would take approximately 3.75 hrs. Your mileage may vary.

609 Votes

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My friend had a roommate that moved out, her mail is still being sent to her house so my friend puts on the envelope, (return to sender) the mailman knows the girl that moved out and has been giving her the mail personally, can he do that?

Asked by Samantha about 10 years ago

I don't think that the letter carrier should be giving the mail to the woman who moved out just because he knows her personally. If the woman didn't put in a proper change of address request with the USPS, then it is appropriate for the mail to be returned to sender with an endorsement by the USPS saying "unable to forward" or "moved, left no address". I wouldn't get involved with anyone's mail based on my relationship of knowing them. Fortunately, it's rare that I'm ever asked to do anything that is questionable regarding the mail. As far as your question goes, I don't know that the mailman is allowed to do what he is doing, but it doesn't seem right.

608 Votes

Im waiting on mail from california. It has full address but apt doesn't exist. Will my mail carrier still have it or will it be at local post office? How long does mail usually takes if mailed from California Friday coming to Georgia?

Asked by Brittany over 10 years ago

Mail from California to Georgia which was mailed on Friday should take about 3-4 days to be delivered. If the address is correct but lacking the apt. # it is possible the letter carrier will return the item to the sender marked "insufficient address". If the letter carrier knows where the letter should be delivered to, they normally will deliver it properly. It usually won't be sitting at your local PO and would be hard to find even if it were. I'd say be patient and hopefully it will show up by Wednesday.

606 Votes

Can mailmen refer mail for inspection because of a person's attire, religious garb, or what he subjectively perceives as being odd behavior? Can he collect data about the sender (identifying data, license #s, etc.) on the basis of such profiling?

Asked by Teddy about 10 years ago

I don't know the answer to this question but I would generally think we can't do profiling based on what we see and then refer that to the USPSIS. There may be a branch of the USPS that does legally do such observation and data collecting but I know nothing about it nor have ever been approached about being involved in such activity. What you're asking about seems somewhat discriminatory so I would likely never want to be involved in any type of racial profiling.

606 Votes

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Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

What draws the line with that I can and can't ask the mail-carrier? More specifically, I wanted to ask them about potential lawn-care leads on their route. Im a college student starting small-time gig in a competitive market.Is this Exploitation?

I wanted to add my business to my rural delivery box vs a po box. I was given the driver's cell number and told that if it was o.k. with him, I should then submit an updated card. Was she drunk or do drivers decide who qualifies to receive mail?

I would like to write a letter to a mailman in anothet city. I know which office he works in...If I address it to him with the office address will he receive it? Or is there a certain way I can address it so they know it's for an employee?

Hi, I deliver a route and a half all walking consisting of 15 Loops. First time I was told it is a 4 hours work load then 2 weeks later it became 3 and now it is 2 hours work load all the same walking route. How many hours should it take me ?

Also on Jobstr...

My friend had a roommate that moved out, her mail is still being sent to her house so my friend puts on the envelope, (return to sender) the mailman knows the girl that moved out and has been giving her the mail personally, can he do that?

Im waiting on mail from california. It has full address but apt doesn't exist. Will my mail carrier still have it or will it be at local post office? How long does mail usually takes if mailed from California Friday coming to Georgia?

Can mailmen refer mail for inspection because of a person's attire, religious garb, or what he subjectively perceives as being odd behavior? Can he collect data about the sender (identifying data, license #s, etc.) on the basis of such profiling?

Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

What draws the line with that I can and can't ask the mail-carrier? More specifically, I wanted to ask them about potential lawn-care leads on their route. Im a college student starting small-time gig in a competitive market.Is this Exploitation?

I wanted to add my business to my rural delivery box vs a po box. I was given the driver's cell number and told that if it was o.k. with him, I should then submit an updated card. Was she drunk or do drivers decide who qualifies to receive mail?

I would like to write a letter to a mailman in anothet city. I know which office he works in...If I address it to him with the office address will he receive it? Or is there a certain way I can address it so they know it's for an employee?

Hi, I deliver a route and a half all walking consisting of 15 Loops. First time I was told it is a 4 hours work load then 2 weeks later it became 3 and now it is 2 hours work load all the same walking route. How many hours should it take me ?

Also on Jobstr...

My friend had a roommate that moved out, her mail is still being sent to her house so my friend puts on the envelope, (return to sender) the mailman knows the girl that moved out and has been giving her the mail personally, can he do that?

Im waiting on mail from california. It has full address but apt doesn't exist. Will my mail carrier still have it or will it be at local post office? How long does mail usually takes if mailed from California Friday coming to Georgia?

Can mailmen refer mail for inspection because of a person's attire, religious garb, or what he subjectively perceives as being odd behavior? Can he collect data about the sender (identifying data, license #s, etc.) on the basis of such profiling?

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