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.
Great question and you are correct about having to use the bathroom during the course of the delivery day. We don't have a bathroom in the postal vehicle, though that would be a nice touch. When I need to use a bathroom, I usually drive to an office building, gas station, or library near the route where I deliver. I also deliver mail to a dentist's office so I can use their toilet when the office is open. The next method some will find gross, but I wouldn't necessarily agree. Some males carry around bottles with them and will discreetly urinate in them and then dump out the contents when they get a chance. It's pretty easy to do in the environment I work as there aren't many people around and one can go inside the back of the postal vehicle for privacy. It's also a good idea to carry hand sanitizer or handi-wipes for use after urinating. As far as what woman do, I'm pretty sure it's not that simple and they must usually find a facility to use.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Is%20there%20a%20bathroom%20on%20your%20mail%20truck%3F%20I%20mean%20with%20a%20full%20day%20of%20work%20don%27t%20you%20have%20to%20go%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14901)
Kris, that is a very good question that I don't have the answer to. I follow a general rule that somebody has paid to have mail sent and delivered so there isn't any way for us to pick and choose what type of mail to deliver. It all gets delivered and I rarely if ever have anyone refuse the ads or other unwanted mail. I would just ask that you recycle the unwanted mail. I am very glad that none of the patrons I deliver to refuse some mail, as our job is to provide a paid service to the mailers. I do agree that much of what is delivered often is of no interest to the recipient (including mail that I receive), but I just recycle it. Thanks for writing.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Is%20there%20a%20note%20or%20symbol%20I%20can%20leave%20on%20my%20mail%20box%20in%20order%20to%20not%20receive%20advertisements%20and%20other%20unwanted%20mail%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/12965)
I don't believe you have any obligation ever to retrieve your mail. After awhile the mailbox will fill up and then the letter carrier will probably do the following: stop delivering any future mail and return any first class or periodical mail or mail sent by a mailer requesting return if undeliverable with the endorsement "Box Full". I have never encountered this situation but I understand people not caring about their mail deliveries these days especially when so much of it is advertising. Please be advised, however, that if your mailbox is full that you may not receive even one piece of mail that could be important. If you are so sure you don't want anything delivered by US Mail, then feel free to let your mailbox fill up or you could even take it down if you aren't a cluster box. I am sure this is a growing sentiment since most business and communication can be done electronically. Thanks for writing.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Hi%21%20Do%20you%20know%20if%20I%20am%20obligated%20to%20retrieve%20my%20mail%20--%20%28which%20consists%20entirely%20of%20trash%20for%20me%20to%20dispose%20of%29%20--%20from%20my%20mailbox%3F%20What%20if%20I%20just%20leave%20it%2C%20and%20never%20attempt%20to%20retrieve%20it%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/13065)
There is a good chance that the letter may actually continue to its destination without being returned. I find the USPS very poor in catching items mailed with insufficient postage. I try to capture it because that is our source of revenue and how we stay in business. I hate the "I don't care attitude" that I perceive in some co-workers. I'm sure this is common in many professions. But, to answer your question, a Forever stamp is currently valued at .49 . The minimum rate for an international letter is $1.15 but it varies by country of destination. If you don't receive the letter back within a week or so, I'd suspect that it will make it to the destination. Please always remember to include a return address, though I suspect you did. Thank you for writing.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=If%20I%20put%20a%20forever%20stamp%20to%20an%20international%20letter%2C%20will%20USPS%20return%20to%20my%20the%20letter%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/12574)
Starbucks Barista
Why does Starbucks attract so many homeless people?
Bartender
What's the best way to get a bartender's attention?
HR Executive
How do you feel about employees working remotely?
Vbjmin, you ask a question that I'd love to know the perfect answer to as I've been struggling with this issue from the beginning of my postal career. Cold hands are really hard to tolerate especially when you will be out delivering hours and they must be nimble enough to finger the mail. I wear a glove (thick or thin) on the hand where I hold the mail and cradle the flats since I don't need that hand to finger the mail. The hand that I use to finger the mail and deliver the mail I try to wear a thinner and sometimes fingerless glove or one with small gripping dots on them This has worked okay over the years. Another item which can be useful is "hot hands" which are small single-use packets that form a chemical reaction and heat up for several hours. You can put those in your pocket or even inside your glove. I have rarely used these but my girlfriend, not a letter carrier, loves them. I have purchased many pairs of gloves over the years. It's just a matter of finding the ones that keep you warm enough but allows you to still feel the mail. Thanks for writing and winter is my least favorite season to deliver mail.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=How%20do%20you%20keep%20your%20hands%20warm%20in%20cold%20weather%20while%20carrying%2C%20holding%2C%20fingering%20and%20delivering%20the%20mail%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/13959)
I don't know about the legality of keeping the package when it has already been scanned "delivered", but it certainly is bad as far as data integrity goes. The letter carrier may have scanned many of their parcels "delivered" earlier on in the day which is completely wrong (I can't say illegal) so they don't forget later on. Your example is a great reason why we aren't supposed to scan an item as "delivered" until we actually deliver it. Now if you approached him/her and asked about it, they should then give you the package. If this happened to you more than once I would speak to a delivery supervisor about this because it is very much against our rules to scan a package "delivered" when it wasn't. It is also misrepresenting the shipping status to our customers on both the sending and receiving end. It is also strange that the package has a 9:25 PM delivery time. I can't say it's impossible but I've rarely heard of the USPS out on a Saturday night delivering parcels.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Is%20it%20legal%20for%20the%20mailman%20to%20keep%20my%20package%20on%20his%20truck%20even%20after%20it%20is%20logged%20in%20as%20having%20been%20delivered%20to%20me%3F%20%20For%20example%2C%20I%20received%20a%20notification%20that%20a%20tracked%20package%20was%20delivered%20to%20my%20home%20at%209%3A25%20PM%20on%20Saturday%20but%20I%20do%20not%20have%20it&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/13773)
You bad bad person Aila! Seeing that you were just 6 years old and you returned it all, there are worse crimes you could have committed. I am glad you know by now not to touch any mail or mailboxes that aren't yours. It is horrible to think of mail being taken out of mailboxes illegally. I consider it sacred, even if, in all honesty, it's not so important to a lot of people today and has been replaced a lot by technology. With regard to how it works for mailmen, I'm not sure what you mean. I have never been involved with a mail theft incident during my career. If I did I would likely tell my supervisor about it and follow their directives. Thanks for writing And stay away from those mailboxes ;-)
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20recall%20going%20around%20my%20neighborhood%20when%20I%20was%206%20with%20some%20friends%20pilfering%20Mailboxes%20with%20really%20no%20idea%20of%20what%20we%20were%20doing.%20How%20does%20it%20work%20for%20the%20mailman%20afterward%3F%20%28We%20ended%20up%20returning%20it%20all%20but%20I%27m%20curious%29&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/12807)
-OR-
Login with Facebook (max 20 characters - letters, numbers, and underscores only. Note that your username is private, and you have the option to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)
(A valid e-mail address is required. Your e-mail will not be shared with anyone.)
(min 5 characters)
By checking this box, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to Jobstr.com’s Terms and Privacy Policy.
-OR-
Register with Facebook(Don't worry: you'll be able to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)
Browse Jobs
Host a Q&A
Search
Submit Your Question
Host a Q&A
Last 7
