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

Hi I wanted to know, if I placed a letter with just a name and no stamp into someone's mailbox would the mailman take it, or leave it?

Asked by Gina kennard over 10 years ago

I think many letter carriers would just leave it because they may notice right away that there is no address on it or stamp. I can't speak for all letter carriers because there are many of us who don't pay attention and just take what's in the mailbox as outgoing mail. I don't think this good for them to do but some of my co-workers are clueless or are possibly paying attention to their smart phone vs. paying attention to the task at hand. To be honest, the mailbox should only be used for US Mail. My advice would be to not leave this letter in someone's mailbox to guard against the above scenario happening. To sum up my answer in one word: maybe.

558 Votes

I've lived in my apartment for five years. Suddenly I'm getting standard (advertising) mail addressed to the previous tenant. This made sense when I first moved in, but why now all of a sudden and is there anything I can do about it?

Asked by Scott almost 10 years ago

I'm not sure why you have recently started getting standard mail addressed to a tenant from 5 years ago. It's possible that name and address was on somebody's mailing list which was then sold to other companies/organizations. One option is to put the mail back in the mailstream or mailbox and write "person doesn't live here" on the envelope. A conscientious letter carrier would make note of it and only deliver mail addressed to you (the current tenant). Another option is to just discard/recycle the unwanted mail. Most standard mail doesn't get returned to the sender if unwanted by the recipient. We put it into a big recycle bin at work and I think it gets shipped off to a processing or recycling facility. The rate a mailer pays for standard mail usually doesn't include any type of address or return service to notify them of outdated names on their mailing lists.

558 Votes

I want to have a package sent through the mail but my mail carrier walks would he still deliver it or do I have to pick it up at the post office

Asked by Nick about 10 years ago

It should be delivered by a letter carrier. It may not be your letter carrier. If he doesn't drive a postal vehicle to his route and then walk it's not likely he will be the one delivering it. Some offices have parcel post drivers that deliver larger parcels via a delivery vehicle. If nobody is home to accept the package, there is a possibility you'd have to pick it up at the PO or request a redelivery.

558 Votes

What does it mean when someone has had multiple previous addresses in a short time span? Recently did a background check on someone and came up showing this. Are they using false forwarding to avoid bill collectors? And if so should I report them?

Asked by DwB44 over 10 years ago

It's very possible that they are trying to "run" from unpaid bills or have a checkered past with regards to credit. I don't know how you could figure out if someone is doing a false forwarding. I've rarely come across it. If people move without changing their address with the USPS, that is also a sign they aren't interested in having their unpaid bills follow them. As far as reporting them, I don't know who you would report them to and what an agency or law enforcement dept would do if you did report them. What evidence do you have of them doing anything illegal?

558 Votes

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We have not been receiving any mail in our p o box for over 2 weeks following a couple of overflows. I called the post office
last week and they said our box is open. What could be the reason for 2 and a half weeks with no mail in our box?

Asked by L H over 9 years ago

I admit it's odd that you haven't received mail in your PO Box for a couple of weeks. One reaction is that maybe there has been no mail for you, but if you've had overflows in the past I guess that scenario is unlikely. Furthermore, I don't even know what happens in a PO Box mail overflow situation. I thought you just may have to pick up the overflow mail from a retail sales and service associate during the retail counter hours but I'm not sure. Has any person or organization you normally receive mail from contacted you to say an item addressed to you has been returned to them? Is there any specific mail you haven't received that you were expecting to receive? In short, since the PO has confirmed that your PO Box is open I don't know why you haven't received any mail in 2.5 weeks. One idea I had was to mail a letter to your own PO Box. It should arrive there in about 2 days if mailed somehwat locally.

558 Votes

I sent off my probation payment and it came back saying boxed closed. I dnt knw what that means could u tell me please

Asked by suboo over 10 years ago

I think that it means that the PO Box where the probation payments were accepted has now been closed. That seems odd considering its for probation and I'd think the department would want their payments. I'd recommend emailing or calling the probation department to verify you have the correct address for them. It's possible that the USPS returned it you by mistake and the PO Box isn't closed. It's best to follow up directly with the probation office.

557 Votes

MailmanDave,
What would you say is the biggest pain you deal with in your job?

Asked by Jack about 10 years ago

HI Jack, that is an interesting question you pose. Since I'm pretty easy going and can filter out a lot of the garbage spewed out by some co-workers and their disruptive personalities and the sometimes incompetent management, the biggest pain to me is winter weather. As warm as I can dress for the severe cold, there are occasions where my extremities just get too cold too handle it and I haven't found, or don't use, the best gloves or shoes to insulate me properly. I think if that were figured out, there isn't too much of a pain in this job. Believe me, many other letter carriers would disagree with me and can be very petty and complain about things that I feel are insignificant. Apprx 75% of the day I'm out of the office delivering mail, listening to podcasts and getting exercise by walking. I'm getting paid a fair salary with good benefits and a high level of job security. Regarding my weather comment, there are usually just a few days per year that the weather is unbearably cold. I'm not sure how I would do in much colder climates than in NY (on Long Island). All things considered, I could be doing a lot worse for a job. Thanks for your question.

557 Votes

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