Postal Workers Share The Best Ways People Can Brighten Their Day On Their Routes
A simple hello to start....
Our postal people are going through it right now and they need our help. However.... in hindsight, I don't think we've ever really appreciated how hard our postal peeps work. They work through all kinds of weather, go into neighborhoods, deal with enraged Karens on the daily and yet... they persist. The postal service is a sacred institution that we have long taken for granted. It's high time we show some appreciation to it's staff. Its the decent human thing to do.
Redditor u/carrot_maniac want to know how we can best assist our mail folk, their days are long and arduous, let's see how we can be a spot of hope... they asked.... Postal Workers of Reddit: What do you need right now? How can we brighten your day when we see you on our routes?Give a Fan
cat fans GIF by CheezburgerGiphyKeep in mind the mail carriers don't have air conditioning in their vehicles. There was one that got baked alive in California last year. The collection drivers don't have A/C as well, but they don't hit the residential areas for the most part.
Much Obliged....
Cold water on a hot day, being patient with us if there are delays, somebody actually being home to take the next day 1pm delivery parcel you ordered, agree on a safe place for any parcels you get so your postie doesn't have to spend extra time writing out a card.
In a Missive....
I leave chocolate, granola bars, cough drops, hand/feet warmers, trail mix, travel sized Kleenex and sometimes a gift card to Dunkin' Donuts in a ziplock bag in the mailbox. I include a note that says : "It's super cold out, thank you for your hard work. Hope you're not diabetic or allergic to peanuts, please enjoy!" He typically replies and says he's not allergic or diabetic and gives thanks. Makes my day as it makes his. I do this for holidays and in summer I also leave out cold drinks in a cooler on our steps.
Everything....
Postal Worker Vintage GIFGiphyHusband delivers mail and he loves just about anything people do. From pictures drawn from kids along the route to thank you letters to cold water and ding dongs. He is appreciative of it all!!
Covid Days....
I've been keeping a cooler full of drinks on my porch since Covid began for all delivery peeps. Seems to need refilling every 2 weeks. Glad to know it was helpful. Early on a neighbor had talked to our USPS reg carrier and she said with so many businesses closed, it was hard to find a drink or bathroom to use on her long shifts. :/
A quick howdy....
My father has been a postal worker for decades. What makes him smile the most is when people just reach out and be nice and friendly. He would always tell us stories about the people who would put a smile on his face. Notes/cards go a long way. But also just say hi and ask them how their day is going.
clothes on....
Carrier here! All I ask is for the love of God PLEASE WEAR PANTS WHEN ANSWERING THE DOOR!... I've had straight up naked dudes sign for there package without batting a eye... oh the stories of awkwardness I could tell you guys... oh also smiles and friendliness is appreciated 😃 ...but with clothes on.....
keep giving.....
Postal Worker Vintage GIFGiphyFormer mail carrier here, #1 get a bigger mail box lol. Water and treats are nice, but a box they don't have to get out at to deliver things is the gift that keeps on giving.
For the Nuts
My dad was a mail carrier for decades too. Retired a few years back. He was the least social person EVER and would run away from houses where people were trying to be friendly.
He may have been the weirdest man ever to deliver their mail, but all those houses (plus others) always got him nice gifts for Christmas. His favorite was tins of nuts.
Edit to add: He got tons of cards and gifts every year for Christmas. Most of the gifts were food, some were weird. The weirdest gift I remember was one decorative Russian spoon. He is not Russian. Neither were they.
Park Responsibly....
police academy parking GIFGiphyStop blocking the mailbox when you park on the street.
And for the LOVE OF GOD....
I forwarded this question to a relative that is a postal worker, here is their response:
"Put numbers on your damn mailbox/house. Send cards/legit letters to people. Tear down your POS lockbox that nothing fits into and get an actual mailbox.
Say hello but don't hold me up for a half-hour bc I don't have time to lose. Buy stamps. If you see the mailman struggling with your giant ass refrigerator box, help, don't just watch from your porch.
And for the LOVE OF GOD, STOP ASKING IF ITS HOT ENOUGH FOR ME OUT HERE!!"
dogs go woof!!
star wars dogs GIFGiphyOkay... I know the whole joke about "ahhh dogs hate mailmans dogs go brrrrrr" but please do keep your dogs inside... it scares the mail. :(
Jimmie Johnson
I'm a big Jimmie Johnson fan the Nascar driver, today I opened a box and there was a signed Jimmie Johnson hat with a note saying it was for me. That has brightened my whole week, but water or Gatorade, snacks always appreciated. However I would recommend writing a note saying it's for the mailman as a lot of times items are left in a box and we are unsure, one Christmas I totally thought a gift was for me and it wasn't. 😬
Hosed....
I'm a carrier and I can tell you the cutest thing I see with the men in my office is the pure joy on their face when they reveal all the drinks/snacks they were given on their routes. They are so excited to take their treasures home to show the family. They even take pictures and post them on Facebook. As for me I love being squirted with a hose. A garden hose that is!
Give Energy
Not a postal worker, but I'm good friends with the one on my route,
He has helped me through some tough times (just a nice guy to talk to).
I often offer him a cold gallon of water or a energy drink, he seems to really enjoy. He is a real down to earth guy.
SMILE!!!
smiley face emoji GIF by Mac DeMarcoGiphyI put two large googley eyes on the front of my mailbox. I like to think that the post people got a smile or two out of that.
the cool off....
I keep water bottles in my freezer. Every day, about an hour before I know the mail carrier is due to come around, I pop one in the mail box and put the flag up. It's still (mostly) frozen when the carrier gets there, and if s/he doesn't need it right then, it will still be cold for a bit.
I'll change it up when (if) it cools off.
Everybody is Important!
You know its nice that the USPS is getting some love but all i ever see Reddit hyping up is Mail Carriers. Like you know Theres so many more people in the post office right?😅 Square up we in the back are important too.
The Notes....
When the quarantine was just getting started, a few of my customers left me a note in their mailbox. Just a friendly thanks and reminder that I am appreciated being out there during these hard times, making sure people get their mail and packages. I'd say this small kindness would be much appreciated again with all of this political nonsense interfering with my career. ✌🏼
Get out of the way!!
get out facepalm GIF by Action PointGiphyStop parking in front on your mailbox.
Stop putting your garbage in front of your mailbox.
Maybe put a number on your mailbox? Or at least your house? Anywhere, really?
Not get pissy at us for things out of our control, which is virtually everything causing your mail to be potentially delayed.
Maybe don't come up and start talking/shouting/coughing directly in my face, I don't really need to get sick.
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The delay in Americans receiving their online orders is the result of the USPS being hit hard from the current health crisis.
There are a variety of factors for long-overdue deliveries – including branches being short-staffed, reduced shift hours, and post office employees admittedly not reporting to work for fear of potentially exposing themselves to the viral pathogen from coworkers refusing to wear proper face coverings.
And despite the Postmaster General calling for his much scrutinized "restructuring" strategy – which affects postal workers from efficiently delivering your mail – they are doing their best to get your parcels delivered to you on time.
Wondering about the frantic conditions these dedicated federal government employees must be experiencing, Redditor Fridayrules asked:
"USPS employees, what madness is happening at your place of employment currently?"
More Staff, Less Hours
"I am an actual USPS employee."
"My office is fairly small and well run, so we are lucky. However, we have several employees (clerks and carriers) who are out with [the virus]. No one is allowed to do overtime anymore. I am sure you can see the problem with this."
"One solution would be to hire more staff, but there are rules about how many employees of each type and subtype is allowed in each office. After a certain amount of hours lost, the office is allowed to hire temporary employees for a limited time. This is after the damage has been done, and employees are already stressed. Then, a temp employee come in, and has to learn the rules, systems, routes, etc., depending on their position. It takes a month or two for a temp employee to become reasonably competent, and then their contract is up soon after."
"I have friends that work in a much larger major hub post office near us, and they are still somehow being forced to work 60+ hours each week. I know of two new PSEs (basically parcel sorting monkeys) that have quit within two weeks of hiring at that big post office because they were not prepared for the crazy hours and the stress of working 1am to 1:30 pm."
"It's bananas."
"We get communications from the new Postmaster General fairly regularly. The last one touted our increase in start times for carriers and a decrease in return trips. Sounds good, right? No, this means carriers are being pushed out the door before they are ready, and that they are not being allowed to come back to pick up another load because of the new overtime rules for most offices. And that's why your parcel is late.
I love my job (for real, it's a great job), but DeJoy is making this difficult for all of us.
Who knows, maybe his changes will end up streamlining our business? I'm skeptical, at best.
I hope you all know that most USPS employees want you to get your mail on time, and we are still trying to help you get your stuff on time whenever possible and save you money when we can."
– Linquist
Stacks Of Mail
"My stepdad is a USPS employee and they're cutting everyones overtime despite the fact that mail is just piling up."
Madhouses
"Actual USPS employee, here. EAS-17 working in a level-22 office with 56 city and 21 rural routes. Postmaster is PCES-level. In other words, I supervise a large station in a major city where the Postmaster runs over 20 post offices."
"Last summer this office was a ghost town at 1700, even on Mondays. Tonight my last carrier came in at 1845. Saturday one year ago, parcel volume was a little under 3900. Tonight it was 8751. Our base hours are 412.53, today we earned 435.36 but probably hit 455. DOIS is only allowing 60 seconds per parcel, but since all these apartment offices are closed due to C19, everything gets run to the door. Complaints and inquiries are insane, too - mail delays and packages dropped at doors means a lot of angry customers."
"All in all, right now I wish I'd stayed a mail handler. Stations are madhouses. But the carriers are toughing it out, generally keep it on an even keel, and everyone has each other's backs for the most part. This station has kept its reputation as a big family, so it hasn't become ugly. Just difficult."
Operational Changes
"In the District that I work in, they're removing one of our DBCS machines the one that sorts the letter mail. The PMG has also divided the Postal Service into 3 separate units, Delivery and retail, sorting units, and An analytical branch to help with logistics to make the service more profitable. Overtime is being cut and parcels are just being delayed. New 'temporary' surveys added by the PMG to track the mail volumes. And there are rumors floating around talking about every Area is going to be dismissed."
– Suraga
"No One Is Happy"
"We currently have over 11 full beamers (big metal cages that hold a lot of packages) full of first class packages including medicine and anything people have tried to send expecting 2 day shipping. Overtime isn't approved and they demand we do Amazon first so we're getting more and more backed up with first class and priority mail packages. It's getting worse every day.
"No one is wearing masks to deliver or in the office, we've have 3 cases of covid, no sanitization, and people have been asked to work while they wait on their covid tests even if they have symptoms. A few people are out for fear of covid and using their vacation or sick leave so no one else can get a day off, and we're calling in workers from other offices to assist, putting their offices into a frenzy making them short handed."
"No one is happy. Everyone is complaining, tempers are rising, some are threatening to walk out and quit, but they show up the next day anyway bc its the best paying job with no college degree in this area."
"The management sucks, the supervisors are awful. They're complaining about all of the carriers because we're falling behind even though package volume has gone up 80% for our office since Covid hit hard in March."
"Customers are complaining about us "being late" even though our daily cut off time is 7 pm, but if we're not at their house at the time they normally expect during non pandemic and new PMG times, we're 'late' to them."
"I'm expecting no Christmas tips this year, that's for sure."
The Amazon Problem
"Amazon is definitely a thorn in my side right now, and I personally prefer seeing orders from smaller, locally owned companies, but at this point Amazon is just synonymous with 'ordering online' so I dont think that's going to stop unless the company completely goes under. And I dont think that will happen anytime soon."
"The biggest problem is the direction coming from the new post master general, he's removing mail sorting equipment, some mail drop off blue boxes, and limiting overtime. So less mail sorting machines and reduced overtime means later trucks from plants, which means shorter time for package sorters to go through the cages and sort, and because Amazon is always our priority, the handlers just don't have enough time before our new 9 am cutoff to get to the regular packages."
"Simply not shopping at Amazon at this point wouldn't necessarily fix anything. I'm curious how much worse it's going to get since Amazon just laid off some of their contract drivers. If that extra workload comes to us then it may get even worse."
"There's just so much to fix with the USPS and the new rules are making it so much worse."
Shelving Reduction
"I am an usps carrier. Our latest thing that affects us personally is they are reducing our cases (these are tall shelves that have every address on our route in order for the mail that we need to manually sort) from 2 cases to one to 'save space' the best way that I can explain this is: you have a normal 2 drawer file cabinet, not jam packed full but each drawer is 1/2 to 3/4 full. Now combine both drawers into 1. I will remind you that you need to fill it up every morning in order, sometimes stuffing things in to fit, then remove it in order to do the rest of your job."
"The best part is the second case was also acting like a barrier from [the virus] from coworkers. Now they are going to remove it and replace it with plexiglass."