Ask a Mailman (City Letter Carrier) anything

1237 Questions

Last Answer on February 18, 2022

Why should a rural carrier wear a uniform when we don't get a uniform allowance?

Asked by Andrea over 10 years ago

To my knowledge rural letter carriers aren't required to wear a USPS uniform and I have never seen a RLC wearing one. There are 2 rural routes that are delivered from the office where I work and I've never seen them in anything except everyday clothes a regular manual worker would wear. Your question of why should a rural carrier wear a uniform is one I don't know. I didn't think a rural carrier could even purchase official USPS uniform items except maybe a baseball cap or other headwear. It's true that they don't get a uniform allowance like the city carriers receive. You could contact the NRLCA if you had a question I can't answer hear. They are the union that represents Rural Letter Carriers nationwide.

677 Votes

What happens after a postman returns to the post office after finishing his route? I gave my postman a package that had a pre-paid shipping label and was wondering when I can expect it to be scanned.

Asked by Mischa almost 11 years ago

Mischa, I deleted one of your questions because it came up as a duplicate on this website. When we return from our routes, we put all of the outgoing (collected) mail in a dispatch area usually divided into flat, letters, parcels, priority, metered, stamped, etc. With regards to the prepaid shipping labels which is usually called Parcel Select Return Service I put the item in a separate area and our dispatch clerk knows what to do with it. I don't know when it is scanned at our post office. I would suspect that the package would be scanned at least in 1-2 days. Some packages which are being sent back as a return are transported by a 3rd party company that picks up those packages at our post office. Other packages are transported by the USPS back to the company where the package is being returned. I know when I pick it up from a customer as an outgoing return package I do not scan the item at all. I hope this helps but please keep checking USPS.com to track your package for any scans.

677 Votes

My mother had a bill to mail, everything was in the envelope and it was stamped. Some time after 6pm, I walked down to the blue collection box and mailed it. She didn't seal the envelope. Can I ask the carrier to open the box and find the envelope?

Asked by L.Williams over 10 years ago

You may certainly ask a carrier to open the collection box, but I don't know if they will. I don't even have keys to open one of those boxes so it's possible the carrier you ask won't have access to the collection box. If you are able to have a carrier open the box, if there is a lot of mail in there, I don't know that they will take the time to go through it to find the bill you are looking for. Bring ID with you in case they want to match up the unsealed mail with your address. As I said, I don't know what response you will get from the letter carrier, but was just giving you some possibilities. It is also possible that the bill will get to the destination unsealed and all will be fine.

676 Votes

I live in a big building with lots of tenants. The mailman has keys can open all of them at once. Is the mailman delivering regular letters different than the mailman delivering small packages with tracking that fits in the mailbox?

Asked by Lisa over 10 years ago

Lisa, I'm not sure who is delivering what to the apartment cluster mailbox, or NDCBU as it is sometimes called. Usually if the small package (regardless of whether or not it has tracking) can fit into the mailbox the regular letter carrier will be delivering it as well. When I deliver to an apt complex I bring all of the mail even if it is a larger parcel. In larger city environments, a parcel post route carrier may be delivering the larger parcels. I hope this helps answer your question and thanks for the inquiry.

676 Votes

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I have had a hard time finding Letter Carrier positions on the USPS website. Are these jobs hard to come by or is there a specific job title I am failing to look for? Thank you!

Asked by LTJR almost 11 years ago

The correct title would be "City Letter Carrier" or "City Carrier Assistant". Most areas are now just hiring CCA (City Carrier Assistant). I don't know the procedure how each district, or performance clutster as they are (or were) called, decides when and how many CCAs to hire. Under the careers section of USPS.com, you can search for job openings in a certain geographic area and then choose "delivery/customer service". To apply for these positions, I think you have to set up an account with USPS.com. Another position that you could look up is "Rural Carrier Associate" or RCA. I hope this helps you.

676 Votes

Hi there,

I just sent out my rent check to my landlord and realized everything was correct except I wrote 362 Box Street rather than 462 Box Street. Will it still be delivered? Or should I cancel the check and resend?

Asked by AmandaB over 10 years ago

Amanda, I can't say for sure what will happen with your rent check that was misaddressed. If the letter carrier delivers both of those addresses on Box St. and is familiar with the names on their route, they may deliver the letter to where it is intended (meaning it will get to your landlord). It's also possible that different letter carriers deliver to those 2 addresses and the letter carrier at 362 Box St. will just deliver it to 362 Box St. or return the check to the sender (you) as "Attempted, Not Known". I would recommend not canceling the check and waiting several days to see if the landlord received the check. Is there a way to contact the landlord and tell them what you did and it's possible they will ask you to resend the check or wait a few days to see if they receive it? I say this also to maybe save you money because putting a stop payment on a check often has a fee associated with it.

676 Votes

I have a photograph of mailboxes in a remote part of South Dakota. There is a large barrel next to the mailboxes. Is it used for packages?

Asked by Joy over 10 years ago

Hello Joy. The area where you took the photo is probably serviced by a rural carrier or HCR (highway contract routr). These positions are different than the one I am employed as even though we all serve the same function. It makes sense to me that the barrel would be used for packages because I don't think carriers are required to deliver mail to a house that is more than a certain amt of feet from the road. The barrel is a convenient way for the customer to receive packages without having to drive to a post office which is many mlies away and has limited hours. It would also protect the package from damage in inclement weather. I can't confirm this is what the barrel is for.

675 Votes

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Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

Why should a rural carrier wear a uniform when we don't get a uniform allowance?

What happens after a postman returns to the post office after finishing his route? I gave my postman a package that had a pre-paid shipping label and was wondering when I can expect it to be scanned.

My mother had a bill to mail, everything was in the envelope and it was stamped. Some time after 6pm, I walked down to the blue collection box and mailed it. She didn't seal the envelope. Can I ask the carrier to open the box and find the envelope?

I live in a big building with lots of tenants. The mailman has keys can open all of them at once. Is the mailman delivering regular letters different than the mailman delivering small packages with tracking that fits in the mailbox?

Also on Jobstr...

I have had a hard time finding Letter Carrier positions on the USPS website. Are these jobs hard to come by or is there a specific job title I am failing to look for? Thank you!

Hi there,

I just sent out my rent check to my landlord and realized everything was correct except I wrote 362 Box Street rather than 462 Box Street. Will it still be delivered? Or should I cancel the check and resend?

I have a photograph of mailboxes in a remote part of South Dakota. There is a large barrel next to the mailboxes. Is it used for packages?

Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

Why should a rural carrier wear a uniform when we don't get a uniform allowance?

What happens after a postman returns to the post office after finishing his route? I gave my postman a package that had a pre-paid shipping label and was wondering when I can expect it to be scanned.

My mother had a bill to mail, everything was in the envelope and it was stamped. Some time after 6pm, I walked down to the blue collection box and mailed it. She didn't seal the envelope. Can I ask the carrier to open the box and find the envelope?

I live in a big building with lots of tenants. The mailman has keys can open all of them at once. Is the mailman delivering regular letters different than the mailman delivering small packages with tracking that fits in the mailbox?

Also on Jobstr...

I have had a hard time finding Letter Carrier positions on the USPS website. Are these jobs hard to come by or is there a specific job title I am failing to look for? Thank you!

Hi there, I just sent out my rent check to my landlord and realized everything was correct except I wrote 362 Box Street rather than 462 Box Street. Will it still be delivered? Or should I cancel the check and resend?

I have a photograph of mailboxes in a remote part of South Dakota. There is a large barrel next to the mailboxes. Is it used for packages?

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Hi there,

I just sent out my rent check to my landlord and realized everything was correct except I wrote 362 Box Street rather than 462 Box Street. Will it still be delivered? Or should I cancel the check and resend?