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

What gift should I get my mailman, also will I have the same mailman every day or do mail deliverers do it on certain days and take turns!

Asked by jay over 9 years ago

No gift is necessary for a letter carrier, but if you'd like to give one I'm sure it will be gladly accepted. Most postal routes have the same person deliver it 5 out of the 6 delivery days per week and then someone else fills in on the regular carrier's day off. If there is a staffing shortage some routes may not have the same mailman each day. Anyhow, 2 common gifts I receive for the holidays are cash (average $20) or a gift card to a coffee chan like Dunkin' Donuts or Starbucks. Thanks for asking about this.

My son ordered some items from amazon and forgot to change the address to our new address. We just moved out of our house on June 30th. The new owner refuses to give it directly to me and says legally he has to give it only to the mail person. True?

Asked by Inger over 8 years ago

I don't know what the answer is to your question with respect to legality. Do you even know if the item was delivered by the USPS? There are several companies thar deliver Amazon packages in the area where I work. The new owner would make things a lot easier if they directly gave you the items. If the items are given back to the mail person, the packages may be sent back to Amazon or forwarded to your new address (possibly postage due). I am not sure what the USPS would do with it because consistency within our organization is poor in my opinion. I'm not sure who you could get involved with this to resolve this situation.

i m a letter carrier in new york and submit a reassign to puerto rico .i was considerd .6 month later got a letter saying not ACCEPTED DUE TO SAFETY RECORD & ATTENDENCE.i haven't been a accident nor attendence (no more the 5 days in 3 years. why ?

Asked by roman almost 10 years ago

I am not familiar with the eReassign process and what to do if you feel you were unfairly denied a transfer to PR. That is wrong for the USPS to give you a letter which is inaccurate. Missing 5 days in 3 years seems like pretty good attendance. I don't know that the NALC or your local management or anyone in PR can assist you. I think our organization like many others has bureaucratic issues that are sometimes difficult to figure out. You could try to contact someone in Human Resources, but I don't know how to go about doing that either. Good luck to you and I hope you get your transfer.

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.

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

Asked by Debbie over 8 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.

Is becoming a cca a safe career choice with the post offices current financial situation?

Asked by Jerz over 9 years ago

It depends on what other job/career options you may have and how they compare with the USPS. I have somewhat of a bias because I enjoy working here and it has been a great career. I do realize, however, that being a CCA isn't easy and it's a non-career position and only pays moderately to begin (currently $16.06/hr). Regarding the USPS financial situation, I don't think that should impact your choice. The USPS isn't going away anytime soon. While I'm sure it's losing plenty of $$ often there is still as much work as I can remember. There will likely be changes that happen years from now but I don't know what they'd look like. I've never seen a layoff or RIF since I've been employed by the USPS. Good luck to you Jerz whichever job/career path you choose.

gift for particular mailman instead of temp

Asked by Rose over 9 years ago

Rose, I'm not sure exactly what you mean by this question. If you would like to give a gift to a particular letter carrier, I'm sure it'd be appreciated. During this time of year (December holiday season), many people who I deliver mail to will give me a cash gratuity or gift of sweets or wine for example. It is never expected by me to receive a gratuity or gift but I follow up with a thank you card to the customer. If you're not sure when your particular letter carrier is working you may just have to wait until you see them to present them with the gift or leave it in your mailbox and hope they will get it. Please ask a follow up question of me if I haven't explained my answer clearly.