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.
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.
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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.
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I'm not sure why the letter carrier would do that without some type of notification that you and your mother don't live there anymore. I don't think the letter carrier should have done that. I guess you could write a note next to the other note with you and your mother's name as well. If that doesn't work, you could also contact the postmaster or delivery supervisor and explain that you still live there. I hope that helps because we shouldn't be deciding whether or not someone lives at a certain address or not. In truth, somebody doesn't have to live at an address there just to have mail accepted there.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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