Question for all the MAILMEN/MAILWOMEN out there?

Question

Is being a mail carrier a decent job as far as the pay and benefits in relation to the work performed? How annoying is it dealing with the heavy seasonal mail loads and horrible weather days? Do you really get a lot of exercise from walking the routes even if you have a truck to help? Are dogs a big problem in some yards? I was considering trying to get into this line of work. I live in a suburban area of LI, NY. Any feedback positive or negative would be appreciated.

Answer 1

Christine...
My brother-in-law has been a mail carrier for nearly 35 years. He started on a rural route in Jacksonville, FL. He use to tell stories about the route and one of my favourites is about the dog that THOUGHT it was an attack dog. Bullit was a daschund and everyday when David was delivering the mail Bullit would bark and growl and try to bite David. The lady who owned Bullit was nearly 90 and quite deaf. David would yell for her to come get bullit so he could put the mail in the mailbox by the front door. Mrs. Bowman would not hear him, but Mr. Bowman would. Mr. Bowman would yell at Bullit to shut up. But the dog was stubborn. One day, David went to deliver the mail and Bullit came running out there to do his thing. Mr. Bowman shouted at the dog to shut up or else... Mrs. Bowman was sitting on the porch and all of a sudden she jumped off the chair and ran down to the gate... she said to David... "If you wold stop all that yelling and just put the mail in the box, the old man won't tell you to shut up!!!" It seems that all those days he had delivered the mail, Mrs. Bowman had not ever heard Bullit barking, but she had heard David yelling for either her or Mr. Bowman to come get the mail, and then heard Mr. Bowman telling the dog to shut up, she thought he was talking to David and she was trying to keep him from getting yelled at!!! David now works in one of the offices on the naval base here in J'ville, and he is soon to retire. But that is the story he tells anyone who wants to hear it! He makes good money and he and my sister live VERY comfortable lives in a very nice home. They take a vacation for as long as a month every year... so I do not know about you but if you can get into, go for it!