Wait a Minute Mr. Postman

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Is there a letter in your bag for me?

The other day I was gazing in the February issue of Reader’s Digest. Not something I typically read as I eat my bowl of fiber cereal, but a few articles caught my eye.   Now I feel like I am 82 and should subscribe…. ’cause I liked it.

Your mailman’s job stresses him out. I already knew this- mostly because I am brilliant but also because my brother-in-law had a 10+ year career at the USPS and it was 10+ years of  pure misery. I am really not dramatic, I promise.

Seriously, here are a few things you should know about the timely guy who works six days a week with a boss breathing down his neck every step of the way.

  1. Keep your dog put up. In 2009 over 2,800 postal workers were bit by dogs.
  2. When you use a colored envelope, like red for Valentine’s Day, it takes their machines longer to read it. If you write in colored ink on a red card, you’re really asking for trouble.
  3. Did you know that just about everything you need to do at the post office can be done from your computer at www.usps.com? They will pick up your package for free.
  4. Do you ever use Media Mail when shipping books, mags, DVD’s, etc? You can ship these items for about 1/3 of the price using the Media Mail option, just ask for it.
  5. USPS does not receive  funding from our  tax dollars. I had no idea this was a debate….
  6. When you mess up an address the United States Postal Service does not charge you like UPS and FedEx do. (With that said, if you mess up an address it will probably be returned to you. This is simply from my experience.)
  7. Many mail carriers try hard to put anything that looks like good news on top of your mail stack and all the bills and circulars under that. (Speaking of which, those circulars are track-able. So if a mailman decides to toss a stack of them in a nearby trash can in an attempt to hurry his route, they can track them back to determine which carrier delivered them. Big Brother?)
  8. Does your mailman always seem like he is in a hurry? It would be because he is. Their daily route is monitored, they are constantly scrutinized and under pressure to meet delivery deadlines. The job is much more stressful than people realize.
  9. People working for the USPS do not get their stamps for free. Who knew?
  10. Felt tip ink on an envelope runs in the rain!
  11. If the mail man is knocking on your door, they really prefer you answer the door fully clothed. Unless you are super hot.
  12. The United States Postal Service runs 6 days a week, as you know. They serve 150 million addresses every day as a whole.
  13. See your mailman and you’re expecting something really important but he has not made it to your street yet. They are ok if you stop and ask for your mail, but they do ask that you have the common courtesy to get out of your car and come over to them.  It is just polite and makes sense.
  14. Did you know that if you have something to mail and you miss getting it in your mailbox before your driver makes his daily run, you can give your addressed, stamped, envelope to any mailman driving or walking around any neighborhood. I’ve done it more than once… chase down a driver to give them my mail. Pathetic of me, I know.

Tell your postman thank you the next time you see him. He probably has not heard these  words in a while.

Read more at www.readersdigest.com/mailcarrier.

18 Comments

  1. Kim Idell says:

    I grew up reading Reader’s Digest. 🙂 I bought a subscription for my Grandmother and I got one for free.

    Anyway…..thanks for the tips on the postal service. I wondered if they got annoyed if you came up to them and asked for your mail. Now I know.

    1. Yap. You can ask for your mail early, just be nice and give a little… like get out of your car. Help them help you. 🙂

  2. Courtney K. says:

    Lots of things in this post that I didn’t know. Tracking the crap mail?! Who knew?

    1. Yap Courtney, they can track just about anything.

      There is either a bar line they can scan or it is a soning number that is assigned to the junk mail and they can track it back if the postman pitches them….

  3. My mom buys my sister and me a years subscription every year to Reader’s Digest. 🙂

    1. Lisa, I think I need to subscribe. Lots of useful information. 😉

  4. Pamela Lopez says:

    My mother “Bless her soul” always had ice water ready for her postman in the summer and hot coffee in the winter.

    1. That is beautiful, Pamela!

      I always want to offer his a cold bottle of water in the summer and hot chocolate or coffee in the winter, but never do. I need to just do it! 🙂

  5. I love my mailman! (well the usual one. I don’t have such passion for the fill ins) I do tend to stalk him and if I see he is getting out of his truck to walk something to my door I try to meet him halfway in the driveway. I am forever telling him thank you because he is my daily Santa!

    1. Our five year old twins think that anytime we get a toy delivery in the mail (i.e. Ebay toy order) they are amazed and think the mailman is magical. Like he made the toy, knew they wanted it and delivered it… like magic. 🙂

  6. You’re totally not alone. I read the same article and thought it was mega interesting. I really have a newfound appreciation for their job. They don’t have it easy, that’s for sure.

  7. Shanaka @ Mama Bee Does says:

    I always speak to our mail carriers along with the UPS and FedEx guys. We are all on a first name basis and they know if they show up during nap time they can knock/ leave it on the porch and not to ring the doorbell bc baby b is asleep. I give them small gifts at the holidays too.

  8. This was wonderful, didn’t know many of these tips! My in-laws have a subscription to Reader’s Digest and I always enjoy reading it when I’m over at their house 🙂

  9. Thanks for writing this. My husband is a mail carrier and works very hard. He would love his job is he didn’t have to deal with supervisors who expect him to be superman.

  10. Andrea @ The Greenbacks Gal says:

    Having a bit of a tiff with my mailman. But, I do love getting mail.

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