Ask a Mailman (City Letter Carrier) anything

1237 Questions

Last Answer on February 18, 2022

I received a very important & personal letter. Our mail carrier, whom we have not yet met, left a congratulatory note. That was kind, but she wrote it in red ink directly on the envelope! I was surprised. Does the USPS employee handbook allow that?

Asked by Dalgety almost 12 years ago

Another good question on this message board that I dont know the answer to. We rarely ever look at or are directed to a USPS employee handbook. I am sure it exists but don't know where it is at my PO. I am pretty sure my supervisor would have it at their desk or know where to find it. As far as writing a personal note directly on a letter, I would suggest that it not be done, but I can't say that it is against the rules. In general I don't think we should be making any comments or judgments about the mail that somebody receives. I'm not saying we don't talk about it internally but I wouldn't comment (in person or in writing) to the mail recipient or anybody else in public. That would be completely inappropriate. Please notice I don't use the word "illegal" here as I am not versed in the legality or disciplinary actions that are in play here, if any. The only time I would write directly on the mail is if I'm not familiar with the name of the recipient on a piece of mail that differs from the current residents that I know live at a particular address. In this case, I put a "?" next to the addressees name and deliver the letter. By doing this, the current residents can accept the letter or realize I wasn't sure if it was delivered correctly and leave it out for me the next day to return to the sender as "Attempted, Not Known." Thanks for writing.

929 Votes

If I put the correct apartment (Superintendent) on shipping address but forget to put the word 'APT' before it, will it disrupt the delivering of my package?

Asked by Francesca about 12 years ago

In my opinion it is fine to leave off the word "APT" at any time as long as you have indicated what the Suite, Apt, Unit, Lot # is along with the proper street address for the property. In your example "SUPT" is sufficient if that is a legitimate apt. designation. I live in an apt. building as well and for my address I usually just put the street address and then "1A" following it on the same line and never had an issue. I am glad you brought up this question because it is difficult and frustrating to try to deliver mail in a multi-unit building without the Unit # also in the address. A carrier who does the route on a regular basis will often memorize who lives in what unit, but a replacement carrier (which is very common) should not be expected to know who lives where and it is very time consuming to have to consult a building directory for the proper unit #.

929 Votes

I mailed a package from Texas to Australia, but it has disappeared along the way. The only tracking info says"available for pickup", but that appeared w/in hrs of being mailed and workers deemed it a mis-scan. Where do I report the lost piece?Thanks

Asked by Sandy over 12 years ago

It does seem like a mis-scan from what you've described, especially given the time stamp of the "available for pickup" scan and the fact that it doesn't even make sense. You could report the lost piece to your local post office. I don't know the procedure as to what happens from there especially if the item was not insured. Another option is to call 1-800-275-8777 (USPS). Thanks for writing.

929 Votes

How long does it take to receive an orientation email? I've completed all steps and was told that it take 7-14 days. I am now on 14 days and I am still waiting on email for orientation.

Asked by Glo over 12 years ago

I don't know anything about the orientation process and how long it takes to get an orientation email. I do hope you get something soon. Good luck to you!

928 Votes

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Where do you put someones mail if you cant put it in their mailbox? (Or gain access to an apartment building)

Asked by Alpha over 11 years ago

If I can find a safe place nearby like near a garage door or by the front door of the house I would rubber band the mail and put it there. If it is mail addressed to an apt building and I can't gain access I would likely bring it back to the Post Office, notify a supervisor, and likely attempt delivery the next day. Fortunately, this doesn't happen very often on the route where I deliver the mail. It is inconvenient to have to bring the mail back to the PO and try again the next day.

928 Votes

If DOG is barking in fenced in front yard, should the mail carrier still enter when sign on gate warns of the dog?

Asked by herding hollywood about 12 years ago

I know I have sort of answered this question already, but I will again. I would say that a letter carrier shouldn't enter a yard where a barking dog is visible and not on a leash and could physically come in contact with the letter carrier. If the owner isn't present to accept the mail, the carrier is best advised to bring the mail back to the post office and notify the supervisor why the mail couldn't be delivered. The USPS wants to reduce the number of dog bites because it is dangerous to the letter carrier and costly to the USPS because of any time off required and any medical treatment needed. Fortunately where I work I don't hear of too many dog/carrier incidents, but I do realize other areas may not be as safe.

928 Votes

I sent an item in a Priority Mailing envelope, but the label I purchased online via PayPal was for Parcel Select. It was returned to me as "insufficient packaging". Does this mean I have to pay all that postage again? Thanks!

Asked by Charly almost 12 years ago

Do you mean that the marking was "insufficient postage", not "insufficient packaging". If it was "insufficient postage", I'm pretty sure you would just have to pay the difference between the Parcel Select rate and the Priority Mail rate. What I'm not sure about is how you get credit for an already purchased postage label, if that's even possible. If you took this to the PO for some type of resolution, I question whether all of the clerks would know how to adjust the rate properly as the ability, care, and training of the SSAs (sales and service associates) seems to vary widely. Thanks for writing.

927 Votes

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Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

I received a very important & personal letter. Our mail carrier, whom we have not yet met, left a congratulatory note. That was kind, but she wrote it in red ink directly on the envelope! I was surprised. Does the USPS employee handbook allow that?

If I put the correct apartment (Superintendent) on shipping address but forget to put the word 'APT' before it, will it disrupt the delivering of my package?

I mailed a package from Texas to Australia, but it has disappeared along the way. The only tracking info says"available for pickup", but that appeared w/in hrs of being mailed and workers deemed it a mis-scan. Where do I report the lost piece?Thanks

How long does it take to receive an orientation email? I've completed all steps and was told that it take 7-14 days. I am now on 14 days and I am still waiting on email for orientation.

Also on Jobstr...

Where do you put someones mail if you cant put it in their mailbox? (Or gain access to an apartment building)

If DOG is barking in fenced in front yard, should the mail carrier still enter when sign on gate warns of the dog?

I sent an item in a Priority Mailing envelope, but the label I purchased online via PayPal was for Parcel Select. It was returned to me as "insufficient packaging". Does this mean I have to pay all that postage again? Thanks!

Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

I received a very important & personal letter. Our mail carrier, whom we have not yet met, left a congratulatory note. That was kind, but she wrote it in red ink directly on the envelope! I was surprised. Does the USPS employee handbook allow that?

If I put the correct apartment (Superintendent) on shipping address but forget to put the word 'APT' before it, will it disrupt the delivering of my package?

I mailed a package from Texas to Australia, but it has disappeared along the way. The only tracking info says"available for pickup", but that appeared w/in hrs of being mailed and workers deemed it a mis-scan. Where do I report the lost piece?Thanks

How long does it take to receive an orientation email? I've completed all steps and was told that it take 7-14 days. I am now on 14 days and I am still waiting on email for orientation.

Also on Jobstr...

Where do you put someones mail if you cant put it in their mailbox? (Or gain access to an apartment building)

If DOG is barking in fenced in front yard, should the mail carrier still enter when sign on gate warns of the dog?

I sent an item in a Priority Mailing envelope, but the label I purchased online via PayPal was for Parcel Select. It was returned to me as "insufficient packaging". Does this mean I have to pay all that postage again? Thanks!

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