13 Things Your Mail r Won’t Tell You.

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13 Things Your Mail r Won't Tell You.

by Reader's Digest Magazine, on Wed Jan 26, 2011 8:12am PST

1. Maybe your dog won't bite you. But in 2009, 2,863 of us were bitten, an

average of nine bites per delivery day. That's why I wince when your Doberman

comes flying out the door.

2. Remember this on Valentine's Day: It takes our machines longer to read

addresses on red envelopes (especially if they're written in colored ink).

3. Why stand in line? At usps.com, you can buy stamps, place a hold on your

mail, change your address, and apply for passports. We even offer free package

pickup and free flat-rate envelopes and boxes, all delivered right to your

doorstep.

4. Media Mail is a bargain, but most of you don't know to ask for it. Sending

ten pounds of books from New York City to San Francisco through Media Mail costs

$5.89, compared with $16.77 for Parcel Post. Besides books, use it to send

manuscripts, DVDs, and CDs; just don't include anything else in the package.

5. We don't get a penny of your tax dollars. Really. The sale of postage,

products, and services at our 36,000 retail locations, and on our website,

covers all of the post office's operating expenses.

6. UPS and FedEx charge you $10 or more for messing up an address. Us? Not a

cent.

PLUS: 15 Foods You Should Never Buy Again

7. Paychecks, personal cards, letters—anything that looks like good news—I put

those on top. Utility and credit card bills? They go under everything else.

8. Sorry if I seem like I'm in a hurry, but I'm under the gun: Our supervisors

tell us when to leave, how many pieces of mail to deliver, and when we should

aim to be back. Then some of us scan bar codes in mailboxes along our route so

they can monitor our progress.

9. Yes, we do have to buy our own stamps, but a lot of us carry them for

customers who need them. If we don't charge you, that's because we like you.

10. Use a ballpoint pen. Ink from those felt tips runs in the rain.

11. Please dress properly when you come to the door. A towel wrapped around you

doesn't cut it. And we definitely don't want to see you in your underwear!

12. We serve 150 million addresses six days a week, so we're often in the right

place at the right time. We pull people out of burning cars, catch burglars in

the act, and call 911 to report traffic accidents, dead bodies, and more.

13. Most of us don't mind if you pull up to our trucks while we're delivering

and ask for your mail a little early. But please get out of your car and come

get it. Don't just put your hand out your window and wait for me to bring it to

you.

Sources: Letter carriers in Missouri, New Jersey, and North Carolina; Fredric V.

Rolando, president of the National Association of Letter rs; and a

spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service.

– Crouch

http://www.rd.com/13-things/11-more-things-your-mail-carrier-wont-tell-you/

11 More Things Your Mail r Won't Tell You

By CrouchReader's Digest February 2011

1. Most of us love our jobs and the people we serve. I met my wife and my best

friend because I was their letter carrier.

2. We go to great lengths to deliver to every address, no matter how remote.

That's why, in the most rural areas, even UPS and FedEx rely on us to make their

final deliveries.

3. Those plants around your mailbox are beautiful, but I'd like them better if

you kept them trimmed back.

4. Is it hot enough for me? The heat index is 110 degrees. What do you think?

(Instead of asking that, offer me a cold drink.)

5. Despite the " neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night " motto, we're

instructed not to deliver to a mailbox if the snow and ice around it isn't

cleared. Most of us take the motto to heart, though, and do our best to deliver

in even the most hazardous conditions.

6. I have people who leave a letter in their box and tape 44 cents in change to

it. I'll take it, but the next day I'll be waiting in line like everyone else to

buy you a stamp.

7. One day while delivering to a woman who had been very sick, her daughter met

me by the mailbox and asked me if I wanted to say goodbye to her mom. She was

unconscious and didn't know that I was there, but I held her hand and said a

silent prayer for her and her family. It wasn't even an hour later when another

customer met me at his door. He was a new father, overjoyed, telling me that

his wife had just given birth to his son. The whole cycle of life, in just one

day.

8. It's a small thing that makes my job so much easier: Please park your car in

the driveway instead of in front of the mailbox.

9. If a letter has your name but the number is wrong and it gets to you, thank

your carrier. We still sort our mail before we hit the street.

10. If your carrier walks his route, it would be nice if you would sweep or

shovel your stairs when it snows.

11. Sometimes, when my wife and I are shopping or out to dinner, I ask if they

give discounts to people in the " service. " They usually say " yes, " then ask

" What branch are you in? " I reply, " postal. " I usually get a funny look and a

little snicker… I guess that means I'm just going to have to wait for my senior

citizens discount.

Sources: Letter carriers in Missouri, New Jersey, and North Carolina; Fredric

Rolando, president of the National Association of Letter rs; and a

spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service.