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 sent out a card to my boyfriend whos in jail, the address I wrote on it I spelled a word wrong and crossed it out, so my question is can I send out an envelope that has a word crossed out on it?

Asked by Lauren almost 13 years ago

I don't see why you couldn't mail a letter with a word crossed out as long as the other parts of the address were correct and clear. I am not sure if a jail would have any different rules on this. I know that jails are sometimes very specific in how to send mail, but don't know the ruling on this.

I was wondering if I put my mail on hold for 10 days am I allowed to pick my mail up before the 10 days

Asked by dee over 12 years ago

When you put your mail on hold there is an option to either "pick up your mail" or "have the mail delivered to you" on a certain date. If you choose the latter, you may go to the Post Office with proper ID and see if they will give you the mail that has been held and notify your letter carrier to resume delivery the following day. I know that would likely be allowed at the PO which I work at. I can't speak for any other Post Offices. Your best option is to choose "Pick up mail" and then the mail can be held for up to 30 days at the Post Office and you don't have to worry whether you pick up the held mail in 5 days, 15 days, or anytime less than 30 days.

We have several post offices in the area. I want to apply to carry in a particular part of town. How can I find out what area a particular post office covers?

Asked by Jeremy over 12 years ago

I am not sure how you would apply for a specific PO to work at. More often than not I believe hiring is done by region that covers several different POs. For example, when I was hired in 1998, I had taken an exam which covered all offices which had ZIP codes which began with 117 and I was hired in one of them. You could go in to the Post Office and ask how to get hired in a certain area though I am not sure how much assistance one specific office can be since hiring is done through a more central HR office and not one local office.

Is it true that obvious outgoing mail does not have to be collected unless there is mail to be delivered at that address that day?

Asked by Sandy over 12 years ago

That is a very good question. I don't know the official answer to that question, but I know if I saw that outgoing mail was obviously there to be collected, I would collect it. Most addresses I service have at least 1 piece of mail per day to be delivered, but if it didn't I may take a glance from a distance to see if there was an obvious outgoing mail or a flag up on their mailbox indicating an outgoing item.

When sending a piece of mail to an address in the same town, is it ever acceptable to write "city" instead of the town name? Have you ever heard of this? My fiance swears this is ok. I have never heard of doing this.

Asked by Nat almost 13 years ago

I think you both might have a point here.  The only time I have ever heard this before was on an episode of "The Brady Bunch". They were trying to figure out where a letter came from and it just said "city" on it so they knew it was mailed from that same city. If one were to Do that today without putting on the proper ZIP code, I doubt the letter would get to where its going because mail is generally processed at a regional sorting facility than at any local PO. If you write "city" and the correct ZIP, it is more than likely to be delivered. 

I am in the hiring process for city carrier assistant for brooklyn, queens, and Staten Island and I did the drug test and criminal background check with them right after my interview. Do you know how long I will wait to be hired by them?

Asked by roym about 13 years ago

Good luck to you. I mean it, not sarcastic. I believe the starting pay is $15/hr. I don't know how long it will Take to be hired by them but I know I wish it was sooner than later. While I don't work in Triboro district which is where you have applied, we need good workers to be hired sooner than later especially with the summer vacation season starting. Once hired, the training process is just a few days and should include driver training. 

I work in a building that has designated mailboxes for each company. Is it legal for the mailman to drop mail for my company on the floor in front of the mailbox if it all doesn't fit? He comes to our company with certified mail only.

Asked by shelley about 13 years ago

I don't know the legalities of the carrier just leaving the "overflow" of mail on the floor. I would personally bring it to your suite/office. If the carrier feels it is safe to leave it on the floor near the mailboxes, I suppose that is okay.  I realize that you don't control the size of your mailbox. You could call post office to see if this can be rectified, though I don't really know the rules on this.