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.
Bradan, Congratulations on surviving the winter! That can't have been fun at all. I'm just glad it's over also. As much as the heat isn't fun, I prefer it over the cold. I know there are others who feel quite differently about that. As far as tips go, my main tips are: 1) Drink plenty of water or some other liquids. I've heard different schools of thought whether or not Gatorade is good. My joke is that on the internet you can find anybody to support your opinion. I would guess that it works but there is a very high sugar content. The key is to stay hydrated.
2) Wear a hat to block the sun off your head and face. I wear a cowboy-type hat which works well. I fold the edges up by the ear so it doesn't look so funny but there is a tradeoff in that I'm exposing more of my face to the sun. I'm not sure what the official name of the hat is. You could also wear a white mesh pith helmet. Baseball caps will help as well but not cover too much of your face or neck for sun exposure. I also wear sunglasses most of the time.
3) Wear as light clothes as possible. I usually wear shorts in the warm weather and a short-sleeve uniform shirt with a t-shirt underneath.
Those are the basic tips that I can think of. Make sure to ask or take a cue from your fellow carriers, as I'm far from being an expert on this. On the very hot and humid days I consume water without even thinking about it, usually bringing about 2 liters with me plus some orange juice to drink with lunch.
Good luck to you. During July and August there is so much extra work to do because of our fellow workers going on vacation. We never seem to have enough help. I'm sure that story is repeated in many Post Offices nationwide.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%27m%20a%20CCA%20in%20Ohio%20that%20survived%20the%20winter%20%28YAY%21%29%20and%20this%20will%20be%20my%20first%20summer%20working%20for%20the%20USPS.%20Do%20you%20have%20any%20tips%20for%20surviving%20the%20heat%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15045)
I don't know why the mail would have been removed from your mailbox unless the box was maybe overflowing. In that case we may suspend further delivery or empty the mailbox and return any accumulated mail to the senders or discard the mail depending on the class it was sent. Maybe the letter carrier thinks you have moved. It seems the mail has been removed a bit prematurely, but I don't know of a way to get the mail back.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20have%20gotten%20a%20lot%20of%20junk%20mail%20and%20became%20kind%20of%20lazy%20and%20let%20my%20mailbox%20fill%20up%20a%20little.%20Today%20I%20checked%20my%20mail%20and%20everything%20was%20gone%20but%20I%20haven%27t%20moved.%20Can%20I%20get%20my%20mail%20back%3F%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14302)
I'm not sure what it means, but I'd gather that the renter of the PO Box either stopped paying the fee on the PO Box and it was closed or that they closed it on purpose. They also probably didn't put in a forwarding address which is why the label said "return to sender". It means the PO Box number exists but is not currently in use.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20received%20a%20letter%20back%20and%20it%20has%20stamped%20on%20it%20BOXED%20CLOSED%20RETURN%20TO%20SENDER...DOES%20THAT%20MEAN%20THE%20P.O.%20BOX%20NUMBER%20IS%20NOT%20GOOD&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15854)
We will be operating as normal on 12/26/15 Saturday. Have a Merry Christmas!
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=When%20do%20the%20mailman%20comes%20back%20to%20work%20since%20next%20Friday%20is%20Christmas&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16138)
Ice Sculptor
What was the raciest sculpture you ever made?
Federal Lobbyist
What was the strangest lobbying request you've ever received?
Programmer
Is Mark Zuckerberg really a genius programmer? Or was he just lucky?
Another good question that I'll fail miserably at. It's hard to find good gloves that will keep your ha ss warm and dry plus allow you to easily finger the mail. While I walk I wear a pretty regular glove on the hand where I hold the mail and then may leave the hand I use to finger the mail exposed but put it in my pocket between houses to keep it somewhat warm. You may also purchase single use hand warmers which you can keep in your pocket and they should last you the whole work day. Some carriers wear sealskin type gloves. I've never tried some so I can't comment on how good they are. Basically I own many pairs of gloves and just do a lot of experimenting to get it right. If it's raining try and bring multiple pair so you can exchange out wet gloves for dry gloves.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=On%20the%20topic%20of%20keeping%20dry%2C%20have%20you%20come%20across%20a%20good%20brand%20of%20gloves%20that%20keep%20your%20hands%20dry%20and%20warm%20during%20these%20colder%20months%20of%20rain%20and%20chills%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16215)
If you know their name and what PO they work at you could mail it with their name, c/o the PO where they work and hopefully they will get it. You could mark it Personal if you want to. I have lost a lot of faith lately in things getting delivered to where they should but you could try it. I would think if our supervisor or PM saw a letter addresses to an employee they'd give it to them as long as it wasn't habitual. iVe never been in that situation so I can't say for sure. Thanks for your question.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=How%20can%20I%20get%20a%20letter%20to%20a%20specific%20mail%20carrier.%20%20Not%20necessarily%20the%20one%20on%20my%20route.&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15705)
As a general rule, I think a letter carrier should be delivering mail to a mailbox unless they know or trust the person asking for the mail. If you are asking if they can bypass a house and not deliver mail at all, the main reason for refusing to deliver mail would be that the carrier feels their personal safety is in jeopardy due to a dog or other unsafe condition. They can also refuse to deliver the mail if safe access or access in general (door to an apt. Building is locked for an example) to the mailbox can't be assured. I don't know if the situation occurred to you which brought up this question. It is rare that I ever don't deliver mail to an address. Even if it's an unsafe construction area, I may give the mail to one of the workers who will put the mail in the mailbox.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Could%20any%20mailman%20refuse%20to%20give%20you%20your%20mail%20for%20any%20reason&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15531)
-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
