Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

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.

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Last Answer on February 18, 2022

Best Rated

Cool enough, we are both from Long Island. So your answering from your experience is probably good for me. This orientation for me will be in Brooklyn & for 5 days. Two more questions currently on my mind.. 1. When does one take the driving course?

Asked by Dee almost 10 years ago

Re: your orientation, it's good to know its for 5 days. I don't know whether or not that included the driving course. I can't tell you how much things have changed in 17 years. There is a lot more automation of mail and less manual sorting than in the past. Working in Brooklyn I don't know which vehicles are driven. I imagine there are mostly walking routes with a satchel or pushcart, but it will still be necessary to be trained on driving postal vehicles. It usually takes one day or part of one day for driver training and evaluation. I find a lot of negativity among some coworkers and try to steer clear of them as I am a generally positive attitude person. Also, please don't believe all that you hear. People like to spread garbage rumors which could be true but you never know.

525 Votes

So I haven't gotten my card in the mail and my boyfriend put it in the mail on Tuesday what should I do

Asked by Brittany about 9 years ago

There isn't really much to do Brittany except to be patient. Mail can go missing or be delayed for so many reasons. Most First Class mail isn't tracked either so it's not easy to tell where it is. 2-3 days delivery is the norm for most First Class mail in the US. If a piece of mail is misdelivered by a letter carrier it's hard to say when or if it will ever get properly delivered. Has your boyfriend mailed you items before to your current address and have there been issues in the past?

524 Votes

What do I do if mail that has a signature confirmation on it has the right street address but the wrong apartment number on it is delivered and signed for by my neighbors who told the mailman that it didnt belong to them, opened and damaged my packag

Asked by Apt 821 over 10 years ago

I am not sure anything can be done about it. I don't know why the neighbors would sign for the item without knowing who it was for, unless they thought they were doing the intended recipient (you, in this case) a favor. I also don't why your neighbors would open a package that clearly didn't belong to them. You could call or email the sender them that you received the package (which I think you eventually did unless your letter carrier was the one telling you the story) and that the item is damaged. I don't know if the problem can be remediated or not. If the item was sent with insurance, maybe a claim can be filed. Apartment number is sometimes as vital as the street address itself.

524 Votes

Let's say the mail carrier flirted hard core with a customer but was married... If the wife found out and got upset could he walk in one day and say I need a new route?

Asked by Jessica over 8 years ago

I don’t really think so unless the carrier was in some imminent safety danger due to his hardcore flirting and his wife found out. He could bid to another route when the opportunity arises and if his seniority is high enough to get the other route. I’ve never seen it happen where a carrier was replaced due to a customer request or a personal issue. There may be a mechanism/procedure to do that, but I’m not aware of it. I don’t know the specific situation that you are talking about, but it’s a good reason not to mix work and personal life beyond friendships. There is too much potential for disruption.

523 Votes

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We are moving because our Nosey neighbors have driven us nuts. Once we leave, I can foresee the nosey neighbors asking the (very sweet and friendly) mailman where we moved. Is there anything to prevent him from giving them our new address?

Asked by Marian over 10 years ago

That is unfortunate that you need to move because of nosey neighbors. Your mailman should not be giving any information whatsoever to the nosey neighbors as to where you moved to. I don't have access to the new address when someone moves. I mean there is probably a way for a clerk or supervisor to access the computerized forwarding system and find out someone's new address but in general the letter carrier isn't given this information. In our office the letter carrier just gets notification via a white sticker given to us by a clerk that a certain person or family has moved as of such date and to begin submitting their mail for forwarding. I can't say for sure there is anyway to prevent your very sweet and friendly mailman from trying to internally find out that information but they shouldn't be doing that and it is a violation of our rules to be giving out that confidential information.

522 Votes

Some of your customers are used to getting their mail at the same time everyday. Today there was a lot more mail to sort and deliver, so you are later than usual in making deliveries. One customer is angry because he has been waiting for a cheque. How would you address this situation?

Asked by kirk over 9 years ago

I've never had this situation happen. It's rare for someone to get angry about their mail on the route where I deliver. If I can easily accommodate them and give them their check I would. Where I deliver the mail so few people receive checks on any regular basis. If the situation occurred, I would just remain calm and explain that I can't give them their mail now and when I get to their house or address, I'll gladly give them their mail. The key is to never escalate a situation. Thanks for your question.

522 Votes

My boyfriend sent me a card in the mail on Tuesday when will I receive it? Is this considered first class mail

Asked by Brittany about 9 years ago

Barring any unforeseen delivery issues or delays, most First Class mail is delivered nationwide in 2-3 days. You would hopefully have it by Friday. A card is considered First Class mail and the current rate is .49 for up to 1 oz. Brittany, In my experience a very high percentage of mail arrives "on time" so I do hope this is the ask with the card sent to you. Thank you for your question.

521 Votes

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