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

I subscribe to the new-ish "Informed Delivery Service3" that started in aroud 2016.
Bwwn using it now for about 4 months, impressed. One isssue: I saw the phtograph of my 2nd paycheck (a "one-ff", stipend) Monday morning, but wasnt in my box later!

Asked by Danso over 7 years ago

I have heard of this happening before. A customer showed me her Informed Delivery email and the image of an item that should've been delivered that day but wasn't. I said I had no idea why the letter wouldn't be in the mail but asked her to wait until the following day to see if the letter would arrive. The letter did arrive the next day so that issue was resolved. I hope it is the same case with your missing paycheck. I overheard from a supervisor what the problem would be. Apparently the letter is imaged somewhere in the automated mail sortation process before the very last step of being placed in a tray of mail in delivery sequence. This is one possible reason why the letter was not in the mail delivery the day it should have been. It is also possible that the letter is missorted by our automation and/or misdelivered. Hopefully this isn't too common of an occurrence when compared to the quantity of mail delivered each day. I hope this helps and thanks for writing.

300 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 almost 8 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.

300 Votes

what do I do to show that I'm taking initiative for my barking, aggressive dog? He was recently reported and my neighbor was told that he will not be entering the street if he sees him out which is completely fair. Can I redeem myself?

Asked by Diane almost 8 years ago

I'm not sure what you can do about this because I can't speak for what another letter carrier will do in this situation. It is admirable that you are taking initiative for your barking, aggressive dog. If your dog is out but contained in a yard and behind a fence or gate, I'm not sure why your letter carrier wouldn't come on the street. I see some aggressive, big loud dogs while delivering mail but they aren't loose so I don't worry about them. I am not someone who is good with dogs but know many people love their pets. I think you may need to contact the post office and have a conversation with the delivery supervisor and explain (if true) that your dog isn't near the mailbox, is contained in a safe area and isn't a threat to the letter carrier. I don't know what the resolution will be, but it has to start with a conversation. Most rational letter carriers can figure out if a dog is a threat or not. A loud aggressive bark shouldn't be the sole determination.

300 Votes

Can I give my mailman. My package and money to mail my package

Asked by Sarah over 7 years ago

Sarah, if you live on a rural route I believe that is part of their job but not sure. If you have city delivery (which is the type of delivery I do) there is generally no obligation of the letter carrier to accept the package and money and mail it for you. Most people now with access to the internet and printer can print out their own postage label to be put onto a parcel and then given to a letter carrier (who should take the package) for mailing. The program used to be called Click 'N Ship. It is rare that a customer ever asks me to mail a non-prepaid parcel for them. I would say no almost all of the time because I'd have to then mail the package on my own time and don't want to get into a habit of doing that. The bottom line is that you certainly can ask your letter carrier to mail the package for you but not sure what the response will be. Thank you for your question.

299 Votes

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Can you enter an open garage to deliver a package

Asked by Debbie over 7 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.

299 Votes

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

Asked by Jillian almost 8 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.

299 Votes

I just moved into a new house in town. The mail is delivered through a slot in The front door. Is there a "proper" way for me to mail a letter with my local carrier from my house or do I have to take it to the post office or a mail box? Thank you

Asked by Kirk almost 8 years ago

I don't know for sure how it works in your town, but I hope it's similar to where I work. If somebody has a doorslot and would like me to mail a letter, they can leave the letter noticeably hanging out of the door slot and I would take it to be mailed. I admit it is a bit precarious as the letter could fall out before being picked up for delivery. Another option is to put a clothespin or other type of clip near the mail slot in your door and attach the outgoing letter so it will be very visible for the letter carrier to take as outgoing mail. You can't go wrong by finding a blue collection box or going to a Post Office, but I think you can be confident using the above mentioned methods. Thanks for your question.

299 Votes

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