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.
Generally that would be correct. If the PO is closed due to poor weather conditions it would usually mean our whole retail and delivery operations have been suspended. I don't know if there are still processing operations going on at the mail plants. It isn't too common for us to suspend delivery for an entire day, but in blizzards or states of emergency, it could be necessary for us to do so.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=If%20the%20post%20office%20is%20close%2C%20does%20that%20mean%20the%20mailman%20stops%20running%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16334)
Dee, hello again! This is a question that I can't answer directly, but can suggest some websites to look at. The one I looked at is opm.gov and click on the tab "retirement" and "FERS Information" once you are converted to a career letter carrier you'll be employed under the Federal Employees Retirement System. Your age and years of service determine when you are eligible to retire and how much of an annuity you will receive. Trust me when I say it's not a terribly generous system when it comes to receiving a monthly payment. You would, however, qualify to receive Social Security and 401(k) type funds at certain ages. The key is to put as much of your income as you can into the Thrift Savings Plan, which is similar to a private employers 401(k) . Some people can retire with just 20 years of service at a certain age but the FERS annuity may be quite paltry.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=How%20does%20one%20qualify%20for%20retirement%3F%20Do%20you%20need%2020%20years%20or%2030%20years%3F%20Or%20its%20dependent%20on%20age%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/17393)
This question has been asked verbatim before. I don't know if this is a joke or a trick. I may safely pull aside when I can if it's believable. At that point I may get out of the vehicle and investigate what is being pointed out. At all times I'd be keeping my personal safety as a priority. There are times when my rear liftgate has popped open. It'd make sense if someone pointed that to me but it's never happened yet.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=While%20driving%20the%20vehicle%20to%20make%20a%20delivery%2C%20another%20motorist%20points%20towards%20the%20back%20of%20your%20vehicle%20as%20if%20something%20is%20wrong.%20What%20do%20you%20do%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/18363)
It is fine to ask the letter carrier not to walk through the flower beds and then track mud onto your porch. I'll admit I'm not the most considerate person sometimes when walking across lawns and through flowerbeds. I certainly don't want to crush the flowers. Ultimately it's your property and you can request anything you'd like as to how the carrier approaches the mailbox. It's possible that even if your regular carrier adheres to your request any replacement letter carrier my not adhere to your request if they aren't notified by your regular carrier via a "carrier" alert card. Any reasonable letter carrier should understand and adhere to your request.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Thanks%20for%20your%20fast%20response.%20I%20only%20have%20one%20more%20%3F%20You%20said%20it%27s%20okay%20to%20walk%20through%20yards.%20What%20about%20landscaping%3F%20My%20mail%20guy%20was%20stepping%20through%20my%20flower%20beds%20and%20jumping%20up%20on%20my%20porch%2C%20making%20a%20muddy%20mess.%20I%20asked%20him%20to%20stop.%20Is%20that%20ok%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/18947)
School Teacher
Do you think teachers are underpaid? Why?
Emergency Room Manager
What is the most bizarre thing you've seen in your ER?
Professional Bull Rider
Have you been seriously injured while bull-riding?
If a neighborhood has cluster boxes, it's usually a group of 6-30 addresses per cluster box. I actually made up that number. Where I deliver to cluster boxes, they range from 4-16 addresses per cluster box. As the letter carrier, I have a key which opens up the cluster box fully and then i can sort all of the mail for those addresses at one time. The boxes are usually well labeled inside (with the cluster panel open) to know where to put the mail. It's important for the letter carrier to know whether to put the mail either above or below the address if the slots are stacked vertically. I have seen my fellow letter carriers, and I'm sure myself make errors in deliveries to cluster boxes. I also live in an apartment building where mail is delivered into cluster boxes near the elevators. It can get more tedious than walking from door to door delivering mail but it is more efficient to deliver mail to cluster box units.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%27m%20a%20nighborhood%20with%20mail%20box%20clusters%20how%20do%20you%20know%20what%20slot%20to%20put%20the%20mail%20on&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16970)
You are doing it correctly by choosing "no" when the question comes on the MDD asking "is this a duplicate mailpiece". The next screen should say "label scanned in error" and then let you choose "delivered". I get this message when I accidentally have scanned a mailpiece twice in a row. The scanner is asking if you have 2 mail pieces with the same USPS tracking number which shouldn't happen. It has nothing to do whether or not it was ever scanned in the office by a clerk. The MDD doesn't hold that information. I think the only time you'd get two packages with identical tracking numbers is if the mailer printed out the same label twice and attached it to two separate items. This would be cheating the USPS out of revenue. I've seen this happen before but it is rare.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Been%20getting%20message%20on%20scanner%20when%20scanning%20a%20parcel%20on%20street%2C%20%22is%20this%20a%20duplicate%20mail%20piece%22%20scanner%20icon%20says%20no%2C%20so%20when%20l%20press%20enter%20it%20goes%20to%20barcode%20so%20l%20scan%20delivered.%20Is%20that%20right%2C%20bc%20when%20I%20hit%20yes%20in%20another%20instance%20comes%20up%202%2C&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16991)
I'd say that it is untrue that it's a law that one must pick up their mail daily. If it is a law I've never heard of it and it wouldn't make any sense to me. I believe the carrier is just being not nice and telling you an untruth. The issue a letter carrier may have if someone doesn't pick up their mail daily is that depending on the size of the mailbox it may get too difficult to fit in subsequent mail deliveries. If this were the case it's possible that mail could be returned to the sender. Most mailboxes that I see can handle quite a few days worth of mail and it is common for people to not pick up their mail daily. If you are concerned about your mail being returned, please contact a delivery supervisor or postmaster to get clarification on the matter. Again, I don't see any issue or problem with mail not being collected daily by the recipient unless the mailbox capacity is pretty small.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=My%20mailman%20put%20a%20note%20on%20our%20mailbox%20that%20said%20we%20MUST%20pick%20up%20our%20mail%20DAILY.%20%20Or%20the%20mail%20will%20be%20returned%20to%20sender.%20%20Is%20that%20a%20law%20or%20do%20we%20have%20a%20not%20nice%20mail%20carrier%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16763)
-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
