I try not to grouse and grumble about my job on a public forum, but right now I am neither grousing OR grumbling. I have been a mail carrier since forever. I am actually quite good at it, although I can't say that I always enjoy it every single day. But there are so many things that would make life much easier, not just for me, but for my customers.
I am sure I can't remember everything I wanted to say, but I will attempt to make a start. Here goes:
- Please remove your mail from the box, if not daily, then at least a couple of times a week. If you go on vacation use an official HOLD form to notify your carrier. And if you are moving, please please please fill out a form to forward your mail. You can even do this online now, and its a simple procedure. The problem is that I am required to return any mail that has not been claimed after 10 days. I have people who take the mail out of their box once or twice a month. I don't want to return important mail and cause a lot of trouble for my customers. But, if my route should be audited, and believe me, auditors seem to have set up shop in our local office lately, then my job will be on the line. I don't have a choice, so be aware of the 10 day rule. Please.
- Please don't run me down to ask if I have seen the letter that your great Aunt Martha mailed off to you last Tuesday. Its not that I don't care that your letter is missing. The fact is that on an average day I handle somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 letters, 500 to a 1000 magazines and newspapers and a whole slew of packages, sales papers, etc. We have to adhere to a strict time schedule which allows me approximately a millisecond to scan a letter for the delivery address and thats about it...I don't have the ability to recall a single specific letter out of all the ones I see in a day or have the time to pay attention to who the senders are. You can call the Postmaster who will most likely direct you to call the office it was mailed from. If it doesn't have a tracking number though, its going to be really difficult to track.
- Also?...every single piece of mail that comes into our office for that day of delivery MUST go out. Seriously, I can't pick and choose and decide that I want to hold back Great Aunt Martha's letter at my desk until sometime next Thursday. Those auditors (again with the auditors) make absolutely certain that NO mail is left behind and not delivered. If it comes into our office, we deliver it. That day!
We have no choice. If I don't have it chances are good it hasn't made it to our office yet. If its an important document, then consider paying a few cents more for a tracking number. If its REALLY important, consider certified or registered mail.
- Please please please do NOT run me down in the middle of my route, stopping traffic and putting both of us in an unsafe situation to ask me for your monthly check. My mail is trayed up, in order, in the back seat of my car and digging out a single piece is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Wait for me to get to your address....I promise I will make it there as soon as I possibly can!!! Or consider direct deposit.
-Yes we sell stamps and yes I will affix a stamp to a letter or 2 if you leave money in your box. But please...we are under duress to deliver a whole lot of mail in a short period of time. Respect that our time is very limited. If you have more than a couple of letters just buy a book of stamps and peel and stick all of those stamps for yourself. Also? Handfuls of pennies are not appreciated. Counting out 44 pennies for a single stamp is difficult and time consuming while sitting in a running car on the side of the road with traffic baring down on us from all sides. Oh, and using tape to stick change to an envelope is a serious pain the rear for us. Just don't.
- Sometimes we have certified mail, registered mail, express mail that requires a signature. Please answer the door if you are home. And if you could put on a robe or a towel if you are naked, that would be appreciated. (Yes, it really DOES happen. LOL).
- If you have a dog in your yard, we won't get out of our vehicles. This is actually an official order from Headquarters. Its a safety issue. I know YOUR dog doesn't bite. The one that bit me didn't bite either....until he bit me. And I had to go through questioning as to why I wasn't following safety protocol (the dog was inside and pushed past his owner when the door was opened to chomp down on my thigh).
And then I had to watch a series of safety videos which was a real boring load of crappola. Believe me, we don't want to go through the hassle of being bitten. And you are not going to want to deal with the bill that the post office will hand you to pay the price for all the red tape they have to go through. They have to pay for those safety videos somehow, you know. Keep your dog inside, in a fence, or pick up your packages and signed items at the post office.
- The forever stamps are good for....wait for it...forever. LOL. You won't believe how many times we get asked that.
- We actually have to either deliver ALL of the mail addressed to your residence, or none of it. We don't get to pick and choose. No, I really can't stop putting junk mail in your box. The mailer has paid for me to deliver it and I have to do my job.
Also? If you are divorced or separated, I can't put the cable bill in your mail box but forward the car insurance bill to your deadbeat ex. I just can't keep that many details straight in my head. I have almost 700 families to try and keep straight.
I know its inconvenient but you are going to have to contact the senders and give them the addresses that you want the stuff sent to. I really am sympathetic and I wish I could be more helpful in that department, but its got to be all or nothing according to postal law.
to be continued because there really is so much more that needs to be said....:)
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