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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1237 Questions

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Last Answer on February 18, 2022

Best Rated

Can a mail carrier enter an open garage to deliver a package

Asked by Debbie almost 9 years ago

I don't know the rule about this Debbie. I would guess that for the safety of the letter carrier it is recommended not to enter an open garage or backyard. I almost always will leave any packages at the front door. If the garage is open and the package can be left there I may consider doing that as well. We have never been told not to deliver a package through and open garage.

506 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.

505 Votes

How do mail carriers figure out which route to take in the city there in

Asked by Jillian about 9 years ago

Jillian, we are assigned to work at a Post Office in a particular city when we are hired. That city may have just one PO or may have several stations which we can work from. To answer your question, we choose the routes that we want to take based on seniority, which I find to be the fairest way of doing most things. It eliminates any favoritism that could occur and everything is out in the open with regards to seniority. Some carriers choose routes that have more business deliveries while others may prefer to deliver to residences or a combination. Some routes require more walking than others. Some routes are entirely driving and mail is delivered from the postal vehicle directly into a curbside mailbox. In a major urban areas some buildings could be so large that a carriers route is just one building. I have stayed with the first route that I was every able to bid on successfully. My seniority (18 years) would allow me to move onto what are considered more desirable routes when vacancies occur. I'm comfortable in what I do and I know it well and I think it's a fair days work. Some carriers are a lot more picky than others. As you can see it really depends on personalities and what one perceives as desirable. I hope this helps answer your question.

505 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?

504 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.

504 Votes

What is the guidelines for parcels drops before or after a relay and flagging the mail. I hear conflicting theories. Also holding the bag across the body or on the shoulder. Route inspections next month. Apologies, carriers tripping a little in ofc

Asked by jvitto48 about 8 years ago

Most of the following I am copying and pasting here since your q’s were similar. I hold the satchel on my right shoulder and never across my body. I’ve seen it both ways and don’t know which is correct. By carrying it on one shoulder makes it quite easy to get on and off between relays if you are moving your delivery vehicle. Carrying across your body may be better for weight distribution. I’m pretty sure I was taught to just carry the bag on one shoulder and I’m just used to it and comfortable that way. I see carriers deliver with no satchel at all which bothers me because I believe we should always use one when delivering a relay.

Copied from a previous reply by me:

Jvitto58, I don’t know what our manuals say about this situation. I always feel we are given such little guidance on when to drop off a parcel on a relay. I know you are going to have route inspections soon. I don’t have much of a memory of what they are like so I can’t give you my experience. If a parcel doesn’t fit in my satchel, I will generally deliver it when I pass the address. This may be before of after I deliver the relay depending on where the park point is for a particular relay. I don’t flag the mail for addresses that have a parcel. I deliver the mail as I normally would and then deliver the parcel before or after the relay. To be honest, I have a geographically compact route so I often deliver most of my larger parcels before I even begin delivering mail for the day. I know you didn’t ask me this and I definitely don’t recommend doing it on an inspection as it can be considered inefficient or time-wasting. I just like to get the larger items out of my postal delivery vehicle. I try not to circle back with the truck if I can avoid it, but to me there are no absolutes and each day has some different nuances when it comes to parcel delivery. Regarding your route inspection, just try to give a fair effort. Don’t hurry, but don’t be a turtle either. I truly don’t have any great guidance because I’ve rarely, if ever, been involved in one.



504 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 about 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.

503 Votes

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