The postman.
In this post Shannon talks about her postman who went out of his way to help out.
It reminded me of whan I first moved into my neighborhood a few years back.
The first problem I had was that the neighborhood darlings home owner association president Cecille Harris had skipped town with ten years of embezzled association dues and left no fowarding address.
We have one of those neighborhood mail box setups where you walk a block and get your mail with a key.
For about three years I recieved all their mail: bank statements, checks, birthday cards, on and on. I called the post office and told the letter carrier that if my name wasn't on the letter not to put it in the box. As it was pretty small and if I went out of town the box would overflow and my stuff would have to go back to the post office.
The post office said they couldn't help me because the former residents didn't legally change their address. I started writing return to sender on each and shoving it in the mail slot.
Then I ended up with a dyslexic letter carrier. For example, if I was 1390 I got 1319 1930 1309 plus the crooked asshole former resident mail. ARRGGG!
I called and complained again. The post office said keep an eye on it for 90 days and call back if it keeps happening.
It just got worse and worse. for a while I got several sets of the same junk mail with different addresses and neighbors were putting stacks of my mail under my car's windshield wiper...private shit that they tore open.
I got pissed off and began discarding everything that came for Cecille Harris the former asshole bitch crooked fuck.
Then all of the sudden the bullshit stopped.
I happened to be driving by the mailboxes and an older black mailman I had never seen before waved at me as he was filling the mailboxes.
Weeks went by and I got all my mail and no one elses and especially not the dirty homeowner association dirty fuck hole slut.
Instead of placing my mail packages in the large mail bin or making me pick them up at the post office this new letter carrier would bring them to my door even though he didn't have to.
When I met him face to face for the first time I noticed he was wearing a pin that read "retired army Vietnam veteran" on his jacket.
I shook his hand, maybe a little too vigorously and told him that he was the best mailman, letter carrier civil servant I had ever met. I asked him about the former resident's mail and he told me since their name wasn't on the box and there was no forwarding address he took it upon himself to send it all back.
What a great guy!
This guy waves to everyone no matter what, always gets it right and goes above and beyond.
All too rare in this day and age.
I wonder if they are allowed to receive gifts?
posted by Bill Rowland @ November 07, 2006
15 Comments
15 Comments:
That's the kind of thing you just don't see or hear about anymore. What a wonderful, responsible man. I know what you mean about getting the mail from the former asshole residents who were friggin shady and didn't leave a forwarding address. That happened to us when we moved here. We still get mail for them every once in a while. When we first moved here my oldest daughter was taking it to school and giving it to their son. Apparently their house (this one I live in) was foreclosed upon so they moved to another house in this same edition...Great! I soon got sick of all their mail coming here and stopped letting my daughter take it, I told her to tell their son that they needed to change their address.
What a fantastic guy. I think they can be given gifts, preferably something useful and not easily squashed.
- ISU Tinkerer
Out here in God's country you can put a tasty treat, gift, or tip in the mailbox for them. I don't know about where you live though.
I'm not sure about the receiving gifts, but there must be some way to show your appreciation. Several years ago, we had a really bad ice storm hit. I guess they're used to it in other parts of the country, but it was something SE Texas was not prepared for. Stores were closed, some roads were closed... the city came to a halt until roads could be cleared and power restored. But the mail? Oh, we got our mail. It may have taken a little longer, but they didn't stop delivering. I know of several cases where people stood outside with a Thermos of hot coffee or hot chocolate and waited for the mailmen just so they could give them something to warm themselves.
PS.... We all want to be nice, not hurt others, but sometimes they just ask for it. Some people are just users.
Sometimes what you need isn't a hammer, but a hatchet. Maybe in another hundred years. Or not.
I know what happened to your retarded dyslexic lettercarrier!
He is now delivering (and I use the term loosely) mail to my address. Notice I said delivering mail, not delivering MY mail. MY address is 312 N**** street Yesterday I got a federal check or something adressed to someone elses name who lived at 2351 Moland street... My bills never make it here and I am missing a package of mineral makeup that costs 50 bucks. Mineral makeup company policy is to wait 14 days before they reship... I am still waiting for it to be day 14... (november 15)
So I am absolutely missing my old cute letter carrier I had for 7 years before I moved, and YES you can give them gifts. The tradition I believe is to leave them a christmas gift in the form of cash marked "To my letter carrier" in a Christmas card along with a hearty thank you for not being a fucktard.
You gotta make sure it is the right lettercarrier though, cause you don't want to sling a Jackson or Hamilton at the fill-in lettercarrier while your lovely one is on vacation....
Thanks for the info guys, I'm going to get him a gift certificate for a steak dinner or something. This is the first government employee that has ever lowered my blood pressure
The current office place that I have used to belong to another company. After moving here more than half a year, we are still receiving their mails and even cheques payments... And conveniently, I think they simply didn't let their business associates know about their change of address, cos, their new office is just walking distant from ours. They will send someone to drop by once a month to collect their mails, which is getting really irritating...
I think it is a very nice gesture of Mr Postman.
Fill-in mailmen are sometimes not even regular employees but lower wage "casual" workers used during heavy volume periods. Carriers are given Sunday and another week day off, but the schedule is rotated to allow each an eitire weekend; Saturday and Sunday off. Postal management can be brutal to carriers, counting their steps and disciplining them for talking to customers for too many seconds, so sometimes their attitudes are so derranged the customers end up feeling some of the sting. Infini is correct in saying a little Christmas cash in a little card is most appreciated. Some people bake and hand out cold water on hot days too. Also you might find the mail forwarding system has been converted to an automated people-less operation. You can only imagine how fucked up things will get now. Best bet is not to move. BTW; I am not a mailman, I just know their program well...
One of my neighbors in the old 'hood would leave a 12 pack for the garbage men every year and a generous tip for the postman. Rudy was our letter carrier for as long as I could remember. I think he is still slinging envelopes to this day. When my lil' sis and I were reeeallly young, we'd follow him up and down the street on his rounds. Mom would give him a drink as he stopped by the house and he reciprocated by bringing us ice cream sandwiches on his lunch break. I sure hope my new letter slinger is like him.
Thanks for the link Hammer. Sounds like you have a great postman now...and I'm sure he'll appreciate a gift certificate for a steak dinner!
They are allowed to accept gifts of a value of $30 or under, I believe. Check at usps.org and it will probably tell you. Offer him a cold bottle of water in the summer time, or a cup of coffee when it's cold - there's a lot of nice little gestures you can make that make his day more comfortable without violating any idiotic postal code. Idiocy is built into the postal contract, btw. I'm a parolee from that fine organization, so I know whereof I speak.
A big shout out of "hey thanks Ham" from a letter carrier here... We love to read that some of us DO our job.. Correctly.. I don’t know what the hell the office you are at was talking of but if someone moves and doesn’t file a forward,.. We hold the mail 10 days from when the new tenants let us know then file a " return to sender.. No forward available" simple easy and part of the dam job... so sorry you have to deal with assholes who don’t do their jobs.. And ya know what? A hearty TY to the new carrier is always adored, we like those little ego strokes, Now~~ as for gifts the limit for cash is SUPPOSEDLY 5-10 bucks.. But we accept what is left for us... Over the last 25 yrs I have received hand made, home made, cash, cerft's, and lovely written cards ~ all of which brought grins to my face.. Christmas it is totally acceptable... But at times I just find nice little wee things in the mailbox for me. Makes my heart sing to know I am appreciated.. And yes loved... By some of my customers... I am family to some and have many little mail lady grandbabies I get yearly pics of! I love my job... but despise hearing stories of the boneheads that JUST DONT CARE!
Hammer
This is the way Postmen used to do their job and so few do any more- I am sure that driving around in a jeep and not getting to know the folks being serviced personally has a major role in why the change, but my main reason for posting is as for a gift, yes he can! Remember him at Christmas- as ours (when a boy) ALWAYS received an extra envelope addressed specifically to him.
My mailman is a really nice guy. I can always tell when he's on vacation because we get the wrong mail. Every Christmas, he gets a big plate of homemade cookies and a Starbucks card. I just may stick a bottle of Jack Daniels in the box next year too.
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