What's it like to deliver mail for the USPS?

[RusticBohemian]

I'm considering a job as a "city carrier assistant."

Anyone do this or other jobs for the USPS?

I've heard mixed reviews. Some say it's super high stress. Tons of overtime forced.

Other seem to think it's a breeze.

What is your experience working for USPS?

Do they treat you well?

[roomtempmayo]

I can't directly answer your question, but...

For the past four or five years, the USPS has been leafleting my house looking for workers.  There's been huge generational turnover.  Used to be that the average letter carrier was 55+.  Now most are under 35.

From the outside, being a letter carrier on a walking route looks like an awesome job.  Yeah, there's weather.  But you're outdoors every day without having to do manual labor, and there's a federal pension.

I have a vague recollection that there's some research (out of Scandinavia?) that walking postmen have a significantly longer life expectancy, but I can't turn it up.

I would hard pass on working in a sorting facility or as a window clerk, but I'd gladly give a walking route a go.

[yakamashii]

I have a family member who recently retired from working as a mail carrier for 40+ years. The generational turnover is real; he says they can't hang onto young people because they hire them as contractors and work them to the bone, and the benefits (e.g. federal pension) aren't there. I'm not sure how you can work someone to the bone who doesn't want to be worked to the bone, I can't validate the claim that they are hired as contractors, and I suspect the comment about the benefits/federal pension has more to do with how the rules have changed since he was hired. Basically, in his experience, new hires get a raw deal and don't want to stick around.

My relative would scoff at the notion that carrying mail isn't manual labor. None of the individual actions is all that hard, and the weights (up to 40 pounds IIRC) aren't that heavy in isolation, but the repetitions add up very quickly. He loved being outside as well as the autonomy he had before GPS was installed on all the trucks. Now the routes are micromanaged by a computer program.

So to hear this guy talk, the job ain't what it used to be. /anecdata

[Dreamer40]

The mail carriers in my neighborhood are exhausted. Loads of mandatory overtime. Lots of heavy packages throughout the day every day due to increased online shopping. From what I hear, it doesn’t sound like it’s the good job it used to be.

[FireDAD]

Not the USPS but I delivered for UPS for a few years early in my career.
It is extremely demanding and we were pushed way beyond reasonable limits. I bought into it at the time because it kept me in great shape, but it was a brutal job with tons of mandatory overtime.
You work until all your packages are delivered and all your pickups are complete with almost no exceptions.

[ncornilsen]

My mom is a rural carrier. I wouldn't recommend it.

Repetitive stress injuries are common, and the union prevents any effort to improve efficiency or change things to improve anything... they pitch a fit and stop any effort to 'run the postoffice like a business.' for example, they continue to fail to price their services correctly due to union contract requirements, resulting in UPs and FEDEX dumping their last-mile deliveries on the mail carriers all of the time. And your carreer is almost immediately over if you get in a wreck, no matter if if it is 100% the other drivers fault.

[GodlessCommie]

I have a family member who worked part time, delivering exclusively Amazon packages on Sundays and holidays (USPS has a contract with Amazon).

The good: it pays relatively well, considering the alternatives for someone with no education and/or bad English. People in the office are nice. People are nice to you - they wave, let you cut into traffic, say nice things. It's the very definition of honest work.

The bad: no A/C in the truck. Heavy packages. Even the better trucks are always somewhat broken. Technology (the scanner that is supposed to also be a GPS) is also often broken. Christmas time is insanely difficult.

I also know a guy who is a career USPS employee with about a gazillion years of service. He loves it. He never plans to retire, even though he could retire now. The happiest, healthiest, most upbeat older man I know. Not sure how much of it is USPS, and how much the man himself.

[jpdx]

I've wondered this myself, watching my letter carrier walk around the neighborhood smiling and making small talk with people. He seems pretty happy. I wouldn't be happy with a driving route like they have in many places in the US, though.

[Feefers]

I work for USPS HQ! Check out the USPS subreddit for more first-hand experiences.

[Phenix]

I also know a guy who is a career USPS employee with about a gazillion years of service. He loves it. He never plans to retire, even though he could retire now. The happiest, healthiest, most upbeat older man I know. Not sure how much of it is USPS, and how much the man himself.

I believe this sums it up.  Our mail carrier, as well as the guy who brings our mail on Friday & Saturday, always have a smile on their face and never complain. It was 90+ degrees this morning and he seemed just as happy to be walking door to door delivering mail.  On the other side of the equation I've got my mother-in-law and a friend from high school.  Neither of them lasted more than a month working a similar mail route to our mailman and neither of them particularly like the job(s) they've had since leaving the USPS.

It really just depends on the attitude of the person doing the job.

[simonsez]

I can't directly answer your question, but...

For the past four or five years, the USPS has been leafleting my house looking for workers.  There's been huge generational turnover.  Used to be that the average letter carrier was 55+.  Now most are under 35.

From the outside, being a letter carrier on a walking route looks like an awesome job.  Yeah, there's weather.  But you're outdoors every day without having to do manual labor, and there's a federal pension.

I have a vague recollection that there's some research (out of Scandinavia?) that walking postmen have a significantly longer life expectancy, but I can't turn it up.

I would hard pass on working in a sorting facility or as a window clerk, but I'd gladly give a walking route a go.

Wait, what?  Today in my part of the Midwest it is 92 with a heat index of 102.  If you don't call carrying heavy packages in heat manual labor, I'm not sure what would qualify.

I live at the end of a cul-de-sac and am always impressed when I see my postal worker lugging both side of the block's mail with only arms/mailbag including the packages.

[GodlessCommie]

Wait, what?  Today in my part of the Midwest it is 92 with a heat index of 102.  If you don't call carrying heavy packages in heat manual labor, I'm not sure what would qualify.

I live at the end of a cul-de-sac and am always impressed when I see my postal worker lugging both side of the block's mail with only arms/mailbag including the packages.

We have 4-story apartment complexes w/o elevators. Lugging a piece of furniture (yes, some furniture can be mailed) to the 4th floor, in the summer, is most definitely manual labor. There's no question, the job is physically demanding.

[ThatGuy]

I'm a very recently retired rural carrier so I'll tell you what I think I know :)  The job your talking about is a CCA.  It is a non career position which means you aren't eligible for a pension.  However they seem to regularly convert CCA's to PTF's.  If you're thinking of a career in this line of work that's obviously important, if you're looking for some extra cash it's not.  You will be "part time". but you will most likely work more than 40 hours every week.  Some of the drawbacks to this position is you can be sent to another office within 50 miles if they're short handed.  Usually it's in the 10-20 mile range.  If you finish early you may be sent out to help a carrier that's behind, even in another office.  You will deliver Amazon packages on Sunday, possibly at a different office.  City carriers are expected to be pack mules that move as fast as cheetahs.  I'm sure I'm leaving out a few other things.

Are you still with me?  The USPS offers a TSP which is the governments version of the 401K.  It is outstanding.  They match 5%.  Of course you have to be a career employee to put money in the TSP.  The pension isn't what it used to be but it's a nice little extra.  They have quite a few medical insurance plans including ones that are FSA and HSA eligible.  Like I said I'm retired and I'm still getting $100 a month from my HSA.  Even in retirement the rates are good.

If all of this sounds good to you then sign up.  Don't worry about being at the bottom of the pole, several people will quit before there 90 days are up.

[ericrugiero]

My assumption is that this job has gotten a lot worse with the proliferation of online shopping.  Delivering mostly stacks of letters you can carry in one hand is much different than carrying lots of large heavy packages.  Doing the former doesn't sound bad at all.  Carrying heavy boxes for 8+ hours a day every day doesn't sound like a good long term career.