U.S. Mail Carriers Emerge As Heroes in Puerto Rico Recovery: Top 200 Comments

10/10/2017 U.S.
mail carriers emerge as heroes in Puerto Rico recovery : worldnews
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U.S. mail carriers emerge as heroes search
14.6k in Puerto Rico recovery (reuters.com)
submitted 12 hours ago by pipsdontsqueak
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this post was submitted on 09 Oct 2017
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[] MattheJ1 881 points 9 hours ago
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"I'm with the Restored United States of America."
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[] moreawkwardthenyou 248 points 7 hours ago*
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[] Showme16 85 points 7 hours ago subscribe 17,699,073 readers
Tom petty! 26,419 users here now
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[] WildStallyns 80 points 5 hours ago
The Postman, man. Kevin Costner's 8th Filter Trump

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[] sheepsleepdeep 42 points 4 hours ago
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In "The Postman", Tom Petty played Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr
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[] Alah2 11 points 3 hours ago
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I watched that as a kid and never
have again. In my mind I always See the wiki for details on each rule
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violation of the submission or commenting
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[] sjsyed 83 points 6 hours ago MODERATORS message the moderators
I love love LOVE that movie. Seriously, The qgyh2
Postman is one of my favorite movies. And no one I maxwellhill
BritishEnglishPolice
know has even heard of it.
anutensil
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[] Max_Novatore 26 points 4 hours ago
emmster
I liked the film until i read the book and was green_flash
like "fuck yeah super soldier fight against PraiseBeToScience
...and 91 more
survivalist preppers wouldve made that movie
dope as fuck".
[] CelineHagbard 32 points 6 hours ago
One of my favorites, too. And most people I know thought it was awful, which it is in it's
own lovable way.
[] Justneedtacos 13 points 5 hours ago
There's going to be a Kevin Costner marathon this weekend. You'd probably love it.
[] jlaw54 5 points 5 hours ago
Its one of the best

[] ThisDerpForSale 5 points 4 hours ago
The book is even better.

[] ew73 5 points 4 hours ago
The book is better, short of. It ends in typical David Brin's style: "...what the fuck?"
[] kare_kano 4 points 3 hours ago
Oh we know it, we just don't want to talk about it.

[] Enshakushanna 9 points 6 hours ago
its also like, 11 hours long

[] SomeThingsNeedDoing 12 points 4 hours ago
2:57. So barely longer than the new blade runner.

[] gypsydrifter 29 points 5 hours ago
You know what? People shit on that movie - but it's probably my favorite Kevin Costner movie.
And it's way better than the book - even though David Brin is the man.
I liked the book much better, with a few small exceptions (like the protagonist's
explanation for why the imaginary new government couldn't use planes to get around).
The movie just seemed. . . smaller.
So that's exactly why I didn't like the book as much - don't get me wrong, Brin is my
favorite, but the scope for the movie is perfect in my mind.
It may have been the fact that I read the book first and loved it. I wanted to have
the same scope - a broader view of what a post-collapse US would look like. Not
just the few bits we got from the movie.
So the book was "post-collapse" I'd agree there, the movie was like, "post-post-
collapse" that's a huge difference for me.
In MadMax everyone is nuts and the world sucks, in contrast the postman
inhabits a world where the world has actually begun to mend but the people are
still broken.
Don't get me wrong, the book is good, but the movie is fantastic contrary to
popular belief. Also, if you read the reviews everyone hates the Tom Petty
scene, I could not tell you why - its an nice touch to the world.
Honestly that's one of those movies that would probably do better today than in
1997. The idea of nuclear holocaust in 1997 seemed remote and laughable at
the time compared to when David Brian wrote the book in the 80's.
[] bat_in_the_stacks 4 points 4 hours ago
I remember the book painting a broader picture, but it's been a long time since I saw or
read The Postman.
It did - and actually that was kind of the problem. The book is good, but the movie is a
lot more gritty and does a better job at world building.
David Brin is objectively my favorite science fiction author - he's wildly under rated,
but with respect to The Postman, the movie is better. You can watch that movie, and
feel like that world makes sense. The world that the movie creates just feels perfect -
it's like a more plausible fallout universe. The movie just immerses you in this world -
the book tries to add too much of the back story. The world of the book is about
technology and how man interacts with it - it's a classic scifi trope, and there's nothing
wrong with that - but the movie just jams you into this fucked up dystopia. You don't
get to know why the conflict occurred, there's no super-intelligence in Corvallis to save
the day - no, the war is between men and women, making due at the end of the world.
It's wildly underrated as a movie - if only for the setting, and honestly, I think the
acting is believable and heartfelt.
[] Thejailer 12 points 6 hours ago
I invoke law 7.
[] FriendsCallMeCharlie 3820 points 12 hours ago
U.S. mail carriers are the real MVP everywhere.

People talk shit about the post office, but really, the fact that the U.S. postal system works as well
as it does, as inexpensively as it does, is a goddamn miracle.
I love postal workers, and you should do. They make the world go 'round.
[] LikeLiterallyThoFam 1243 points 11 hours ago
I'll be honest, I wish 999/1000 pieces of mail I receive weren't unwanted advertising that I
have to take time to go through and discard. But for that 1/1000 I am grateful for the letter
carrier
[] scott81425 831 points 10 hours ago
Hey man, it's those 999 that make your 49 cent stamps, and media mail shipments
affordable. If it weren't for those adverts, no way a stamp could be so cheap.
[] HP844182 433 points 9 hours ago
I always feel bad they spend all that effort to transport and deliver mail that just gets
tossed in the trash when they're done.
[] cttttt 294 points 8 hours ago
Yeah. Logic dictates that they must be effective (they are with...someone...right?),
but...they're so ineffective with me. Straight to the recycling.
[] unicornlocostacos 207 points 8 hours ago
I pay so little attention, I've probably accidentally thrown away bills in my

rampage.
[] rabidhamster 151 points 4 hours ago
Luckily, my postman organizes my mailbox by mail type. Even if I don't

check mail for a few days, when I do, the envelopes are always together,
and the large flyers are tucked around behind them. It's that little extra bit
of effort I appreciate.
[] mandolin2712 99 points 4 hours ago
You should leave him cookies or something

[] JBird700 52 points 4 hours ago
As a postal worker thats way beyond what I do. We fold flats/magazines

like a taco and put letters in it but if you havent picked up your mail in
a day or so its gonna look bad.
[] Firepower01 22 points 3 hours ago
Yeah I was a letter carrier in Canada and I can confirm that I did the
exact same shit.
Pick up your damn mail!
[] dragonfangxl 5 points 3 hours ago
sure thing cliff

[] _vrmln_ 7 points 4 hours ago
I like your honesty

[] Grammarisntdifficult 12 points 4 hours ago
Ive thrown away bills, notices of inspection from my landlord, birthday

cards, and once, thankfully only once, my new trade licence. God damned
advertising.
[] _treehugger_ 126 points 8 hours ago
Being a marketing manager at my local hotbox I can tell you it actually does
work, out of the 5000 we sent this month we have gotten about 600 back as
they had coupons on them and can frank in-store.
[] Devan94 148 points 7 hours ago
Your name doesnt check out for someone that sends out junk mail lmao
[] NotParticularlyGood 81 points 7 hours ago
He personally hugs every pile of coupons before they go out!

[] Erkrez 23 points 5 hours ago
If something made you a ton of money I'd imagine you'd want to hug it
too.
[] beingmerry 14 points 4 hours ago
Fun fact: paper and lumber companies are some of the biggest pro
conservation lobbyist's out there! They have millions of acres of
managed forests and are one of the big reasons that the U.S. and other
developed nations have such high levels of forested area (compare vs
unregulated or poorly regulated logging in the Philippines and China)
[] saffir 13 points 5 hours ago
We get about a 1.5% response rate with our direct mailing campaign and
can still turn a 20% profit margin
[] 7734128 16 points 6 hours ago
But how do you account for the people who would have come even without
the coupons? If they had come regardless then you did not only waste
money on advertisement but also lost profit due to the coupon rebate.
[] kawa1888 27 points 5 hours ago
You track what people buy when they use the coupon. This can be info
for sale prices or just the type of goods people want.
[] _treehugger_ 11 points 5 hours ago
I mean either way we are gonna make money, and the coupons being
used showed us that the marketing strategy worked because maybe if
they didn't see the coupon they would have ordered from somewhere
else
[] 7734128 8 points 5 hours ago
I see the same train of thought at the company I work for. The boss
is always happy that we got twice as many orders, but doesn't seem
to care that a lot of the projects were begun long before the rebate.
The way I see it, we got a lot of customers designing products but
not ordering them until we mail out a rebate. I understand some
customers might only exist because they can do this, but I feel as if
we're getting less customers because we have to have a higher price
normally to accommodate the rebate, the influx of orders are
unfortunate and we're not making as much profit from the orders
because of the rebate as we would have if the customer would have
bought at normal price anyways.
[] Vinarinarinarin 6 points 4 hours ago
Did you ever hear about the JCPenny experiment where they
lowered their prices to have "every day sales"? Basically doing
what you suggested. Basically what seemed common sense with
what you are saying almost ruined the company. People and
psychology are weird.
continue this thread

[] Seriously_nopenope 3 points 5 hours ago
You compare a promotional period to a non-promotion period. Then you

calculate the profit for these 2 periods. You can see the lift in sales while
the promo is on and see if its worth it. Depending on your business you
may have even deeper data to help refine this process.
[] Screwedsicle 3 points 4 hours ago
Additionally, a lot of the fluff HAS to be mailed, by regulation; like policy

changes from your bank and CC company.
Then, on top of that - which could be argued is important but not readable -
we get all the stuff from our financial companies and their affiliates that's
directed as advertising or to small businesses, who are far more inclined to
read their mail, but also look a lot like an individual to the backend. Do I
care about the UI change to my bank's website? Or the credit monitoring
service in partnership with XYZ Corp? No... and maybe... respectively; but
still, the best way to reach customers is to throw a splash page, then email,
then US mail. Covers all bases. And we get mail about all of it.
[] brettaburger 12 points 5 hours ago*
I dunno man, coupons are legit. And checking flyers can pay off very quickly by
spotting special sales of things like groceries. Stuff I'd need anyways. Or even
just stuff I've wanted but didn't like the price point. I loathe paying full price for
stuff when a little planning would have saved me cash.
Hey man, coming from someone who delivers mail for a living, rest assured we
don't mind all that effort. We know it's those catalogs, true value, and end of the
month flyers that make up our pay checks. All we ask is to be civil to us, realize
we're humans who sort and handle a whole lot of mail pieces, every single day.
Mistakes will happen, but bear with us, we make them right.
And rest assured we toss a whole lot of our own mail in the trash too. But like I
say, it's that stuff that most of us toss that keeps those birthday and Christmas
cards affordable to send. A whole lot of people make a decent living to make sure
Aunt Betty knows you care about her 97th birthday.
[] flamehead2k1 29 points 8 hours ago
My biggest issue is the environmental impact. Moving all that junk mail takes
energy.
[] memetunis 18 points 8 hours ago
I requested no junk mail and get most of my bills via email. This is via
Canada Post. I might get 4-5 pieces of mail per month.
[] moodonis 28 points 7 hours ago
I requested no junk mail and get most of my bills via email.

I'd like to know how to request no junk mail in the US, please.
[] locks_are_paranoid 16 points 6 hours ago
This site will let you opt out of junk mail.

[] nuke_spywalker 8 points 5 hours ago
And get on a bunch of other junk mail lists probably.

[] moodonis 11 points 6 hours ago
Okay, let's see if this does something...

[] DurhamFisherman 10 points 7 hours ago
I've gotten some flyers that are made on recyclable paper. The Canada
post sucks compared to usps. Order something from the states and
track it. Two days it's gone a few states over and third day hits the
border. Of which after a couple days of customs I have to wait two
weeks for my mail to come and it's a city over!
[] gsfgf 6 points 5 hours ago
It doesn't weight that much, and the routes would be run every day
anyway.
[] sometimescomments 12 points 7 hours ago
At Christmas make sure to tip your mail carrier with a Tim Horton's or
Starbucks card!
Ha! I know of some carriers who plan their entire holiday season around re-
gifting things people leave to them. I'd probably trade every box of
chocolates I receive (and I'm not trying to say they're unappreciated, they
truly are... Please don't misinterpret what I'm trying to say) for a cold bottle
of water on a hot summer day. There are many ways to thank your mail
carrier, and we don't view any as necessary. But if you're the type of person
that thinks hey, I appreciate you, but you get paid so I don't want to give
you money. Is there something else I could do? Sure. Offer a bottle of
water. Most of us carry water bottles. Offer to put a couple ice cubes and
fresh water in it. I live in a very warm, desert climate. If you're watering
your yard in the dog days of summer, seriously, offer to hose me down.
Those trucks are much warmer than the ambient temp. There are so many
ways people help us out every day.
[] sometimescomments 8 points 6 hours ago
I occassionaly run into my carrier and will offer water next time. I'm in a
colder climate though. Any other suggestions for how to show my
appreciation?
[] its250 13 points 6 hours ago
Disposable hand warmers or a zippo reusable hand warmer are nice

gifts.
Great idea! Tissues, hand lotion, chap stick, and kleenex are also
amazing. Seriously, it doesn't take much to make us feel
appreciated. Also not necessary.

[] tadpole64 5 points 5 hours ago
TIL zippo makes things other than lighters.

Man, I don't speak for everyone of us, I can only speak for myself
personally. But anything homemade is better than anything store
bought. If you feel the need to give your carrier something, and
again we DO NOT expect it. Seriously, the USPS adequately
compensates us for what we do, we expect nothing, but I'll take a
homemade fruit cake, or a couple homemade cookies, some fudge,
anything that says someone took time out of their day to thank me-
as the best gift ever. Sometimes we pick up letters out of a mailbox
where a customer has taped 2 quarters to the envelope instead of a
stamp. Fun fact, we have to go buy that stamp for you, and bring
you your penny change. A tootsie roll, or a candy of some sort goes
a long way to thank us for that. Lottery tickets are a big thing, pick
up quite a few of those. Seriously, they're AWESOME. I love every
single one. But personally, something homemade, a cookie, a
tamale, a slice of pie (pizza or apple) will make our day. On a cold
day, a hot cup of coffee or cocoa is amazing. We're very pressed for
time out there, even just the offer is amazing. If you live in a more
rural area, and can be more mature about things, keep in mind
some of our carriers have REALLY long routes and no opportunity to
use the restroom. For a boy, in a heavily wooded area, that may not
be an issue. For some others, offering to allow them inside might
literally make their day. I certainly don't speak for everyone, but the
smallest gestures make our day. A simple wave and hello is
memorable.
[] OnPhyer 8 points 5 hours ago
An elderly resident gave me a jar of homemade strawberry and

rhubarb jam because I called her personal cell phone when I was
delivering her package so she could come down and get it. Still
my favorite gift in the 2 years Ive been a carrier.
[] Dr_Splitwigginton 6 points 5 hours ago
I was following along pretty well for awhile, and then you got to the part
where Im supposed to offer to hose down my mail carrier.
Is this some sort of common thing Ive never heard of before, like when
I was pronouncing epitome like eh-pi-tome? Or was this a slip, in
which you accidentally voiced something all mail-people have always
hope to be offered: being hosed down with the dog?
Let me know!
[] Jessev1234 7 points 4 hours ago
Got it, will spray mail people with hose from now on.
[] masamunecyrus 6 points 6 hours ago
I use my junk mail to start my charcoal grill.

[] huxrules 21 points 6 hours ago
see I disagree. if they had good spam control (which I would probably pay 5$ a month
for) then they would have less mail and people would think that mail is more
important. I still get junkmail - lots of junk mail- for my dead parents. Sometimes from
companies that we already took their fucking life insurance from. New rule - if you
send a letter to my mom saying she can get term life insurance for 1$ then I should be
able to apply for it and instantly collect.
[] spiderspit 3 points 5 hours ago
They are the ads that fund the system.

[] Armani_Chode 3 points 4 hours ago
It's actually packages that keep USPS alive. They lose their asses on letters and
mailers.
[] BHikiY4U3FOwH4DCluQM 6 points 10 hours ago
Lucky you, I get far more bills and official letters than advertising. At least I can just throw
away the latter.
[] RDT2 5 points 5 hours ago
Ha, so the post office is basically an ad supported business!

[] EamusCatuli1060 7 points 5 hours ago
They also complain about having to sort, carry, and deliver that junk mail but you never
really hear it.
My mom is a carrier and dad is a post master so we'd have family dinner and they'd
unload all their post office problems. My mom hates delivering junk mail as much as you
hate receiving it.
[] goda90 3 points 5 hours ago
Junkmail is always reliable: http://pbfcomics.com/comics/post-apocalyptic/


[] fluffulumpkins 106 points 7 hours ago
the fact that the U.S. postal system works as well as it does, as inexpensively as it does, is
a goddamn miracle.
not to even mention they do so while being hobbled and handicapped by congressional actions
left and right...
[] vita10gy 22 points 3 hours ago
Right. People love to talk about them losing money, but that's only because Congress
made them prepay 7 eternities of retirement benefits. There are people not born yet who
have a fully funded retirement acct.
They get treated like a public entity when it suits the gov and like a private entity when it
suits the gov.
[] variaati0 13 points 2 hours ago
And so what even, if they lose money? It's a government agency, not a company. They
don't have to make profit, their job is not make profit.
Their job is to provide a vital service: carry mail accross the nation and offer said
services to all residents nationwide at reasonable cost.
If it takes budget subsidies to keep the prices as such that the services are affordable
even to the lowest of the low economic ladder, so be it. It comes out of the taxes, so if
it is vital and important enough it's worth spending tax money on. And ensuring
nationwide post service is pretty vital for operation of organized society.
[] t3hTwinky 12 points 2 hours ago
The USPS receives exactly zero tax dollars, and hasn't since the 1970s. It is
entirely self funded, like a private company, but at the mercy of administation by
congress. Source: work at a P&DC, everyone marvels that mail gets out at all some
days, let alone on time.
[] variaati0 4 points 1 hour ago
Well my point wasn't what the current finances are.

Rather even if it took some amonut of tax money to maintain this type of
critical service, so be it. That is what collecting taxes is for, funding government
run critical services.
Government agencies success isn't measured in profits, rather in their
effectiveness to provide the service they are tasked to do. Costs are secondary
as long as said cost is feasible to be financed by the society and the service
provided is seen worth it.
Ofcourse due to economies of scale, universality and cumulative benefits
usually pretty much all tax funded government services are hugely profitable to
the society as whole. It just doesn't show up in the organization accounting,
since those benefits are in external economic activity said government service
enables.
And even if it wasn't economically positive sometimes the other non-economic

societal benefits in themselves are seen worthy enough to spend tax money on.
One should never ask 'how much tax are we paying' rather 'are the services
provided by the taxes we pay worth the amount we pay'.
[] ExciteMeUp 4 points 1 hour ago
US Postal Service receives zero tax dollars for its operating expenses. We rely on
postage, services and products to stay operating.
[] fluffulumpkins 3 points 1 hour ago
tbh, the only big reason the USPS is not dead yet is because it provides a service of
critical strategic importance with regard to government and military related
function for certain types of parcels which can not be accounted for via regular
commercial mail.
also, fuck Congress... the USPS acts as a market and cost stabilizing force in a
limited participant market with a captive audience. why does UPS/Fedex provide
similar prices instead of profiteering up the wazoo? Well, insert USPS!
[] Drustifer 27 points 9 hours ago
And people forget that those vehicles have no fucking AC or heat (they have heat but it sucks.
Some people broke the tubes of the heater and angled it on their toes)
[] torrentR3zn0r 9 points 5 hours ago
Their new fleets are chevy vans and the one I drove on occasion had air. I know after I left
there they started ordering more of them, but I know they are still looking to replace the
entire fleet with something new, and I say they deserve air conditioning. It's a tough job
and the winters are unforgiving. I never knew what dry skin was until the paper wicked all
the moisture out of my hands while walking in blistering cold air and trying to avoid the ice
and snow. Thanks to every letter carrier that reads this.
[] CheeseStandsAlone262 88 points 9 hours ago
Not to mention only that, but they also take care of their workers. The post office and its
benefit programs pretty much single-handedly lifted my family out of poverty about 100 years
ago, and we've been middle-class since.
[] groznywino 70 points 7 hours ago
Mail carrier here. Its nice to know our work is appreciated needed a bit of encouragement
because tomorrow is going to be a fuck of a long day.
[] PraiseGeraldo 3 points 4 hours ago
Ex-CCA here. Glad I'm not working a 12 hour shift tomorrow. And the next day. And the
next day. And the next day. And the next day. And the ne
I know what you mean, when I worked there the worst days were after the weekend with
a holiday before or after it. One step at a time brother or sister, I know doing your job
made me appreciate the hell out of every letter carrier. Stay safe.
[] Darkness36 16 points 6 hours ago
My dad was a postal worker, when we got in trouble he would pack his satchel full of canned
goods and have us walk around the neighborhood till we got tired. He once took me to work
and had me walk his entire route with him...it wasn't fun.
[] Jdf121 41 points 7 hours ago
For real. If I gave you 55 cents and told you to take something to Alaska for me, you would
look at me like I was crazy.
[] Bleepids 15 points 5 hours ago
Same 55 cents takes it to Guam. Guam!

[] fannypacks4ever 7 points 4 hours ago
When I was in the Navy I'd pick up postcards at all the ports and mail them back to my
crewmates. So it would have to travel from my ship by helicopter to one of the supply
ships which fly it over to our home port which would get sorted and put into the
regular postal system and then they would then have to fly it back to a supply ship and
make it back through our own postal system and make it to my shipmate. It usually
took just over a month while on deployment to make the loop.
[] wishnana 13 points 7 hours ago
Right? Whereas if you personally do it, you'd have to consider your gas costs and
wear/tear on your OWN vehicle, plus the time you actually spent.
I'll take that $0.55 upkeep any day.
[] csmlyly 3 points 3 hours ago
Hierarchy and organization goes a long way.

[] aeolus811tw 29 points 7 hours ago
I have a habit of keeping at least one bottled water in the fridge for the mailman during those
hot summer days. And I would advocate others to do the same.
I have seen far too many mailmen continued their delivery door to door when everyone is
hiding in AC room.
You're an awesome human being. I had one lady that did the same for me when I was
doing the job. I always brought plenty for myself, but the mail truck is pretty far
sometimes and water is a heavy thing to carry along. Thank you.
[] cultured_banana_slug 26 points 5 hours ago
For less than a dollar I can send a letter anywhere in the country. That little house down a
loooooong ass road, 100 miles from nowhere?
Delivered.
That little house out in the middle of a field where the corn grows high and for miles around?
Delivered.
That snow-covered hut out in the middle of godfuckingknowshwere....
Delivered.
USPS: We'll get that shit where it needs to go, no worries.
They unite our country. USPS ensures we're all neighbors. Gotta love that.
[] paiute [score hidden] 1 hour ago
They unite our country

Which is why I have to buy just enough Congressmen at fuckall rates who will piss and
moan about inefficiency and fuck up the Postal Service and then give my delivery company
a permit to carry letters and then shut down the Postal Service because private business
can do it better.
$25 letter to Santa, here we come.
[] iFonePhag 27 points 4 hours ago
Letter Carrier here in Seattle WA. I appreciate the kind words. I just had someone online this
evening in other words call me stupid because all I do is "deliver packages" it's nice to hear
some kind words.
Just to give you some quick facts, generally most mail routes have 650ish mailboxes on each
route but I've seen some apartment routes that have 1100 mailboxes on them. We get
anywhere from 1,200 to 3,000 presorted letters each day, approx 100-200 magazines and
catalogs to manually sort then deliver. And don't forget the 150-200 packages (small padded
packages all the way up to vacuum sealed mattresses). It usually takes us 2.5 hours to sort
the mail for our route and load our trucks then we deliver all that in 5 hours of street time. It's
kind of a monumental task, and a very fast paced cardio kind of day. Myself I usually do four
10 hour days a week and one 8 hour day because I help out on routes that we're down pretty
much daily. I've not worked under 47 hours a week in the last 3 years.
Again, thanks for the appreciation for our hard work.
[] camwow13 3 points 3 hours ago
From the Seattle area and I use mail. You folks are awesome!
It is so ridiculous to call someone stupid for doing a service that almost everyone relies on
every day.
[] opeth10657 18 points 6 hours ago
They have been far less shitty than Fedex at delivering packages.
8 days to go from California to WI? Really Fedex?
And they still ended handing it off to USPS
[] Level9TraumaCenter 14 points 5 hours ago
Here's the weird thing- FedEx is actually the air carrier for USPS Priority Mail, meaning that
virtually every package that isn't delivered locally (i.e., needs to be flown at some point) is
carried by FedEx.
[] Stickeris 6 points 5 hours ago
Huh, TIL
Thanks, Congress.
[] theytsejam 6 points 5 hours ago
Except for Newman. Fuck Newman.

[] Godzilla_1954 6 points 6 hours ago
And this is why I applied. Hope they call back

[] ta_1943 10 points 4 hours ago
I delivered mail for a summer a little bit ago. They'll call you back, but strap in for a weird
time.
The letter carriers (with a few very notable exceptions) were hands down the most
friendly, hard-working, and positive people I've ever met. Not exactly the sharpest tools in
the shed, but really decent people.
The supervisors were practically psychopaths. When the carriers tell you "the supervisor is
not your friend", listen to them.
As a new carrier, you will be fired for the smallest problem, your fault or not. I saw new
carriers fired for getting a flat tire, calling in sick one time, taking too long on a new route,
running out of gas when the needle shows 1/4, all sorts of absolute bullshit.
It was the best job I've ever had wrapped up in the worst job I've ever had.
[] Russiangreyman 4 points 3 hours ago
Until you make career. Then depending on the area and how good your union reps are
you can't get fired for anything short of murder. And even then management might
fuck up the firing process and you'll get your job back.
[] ta_1943 4 points 3 hours ago
Yeah, there were a few people at my station that everyone wanted to see gone, but
it just wasn't going to happen.
"the only thing worse than a union is no union"
[] jaistuart 4 points 5 hours ago
Postmen are the closest thing to Santa Claus there is.

[] Jenysis 3 points 4 hours ago
That's why they get a Christmas gift when I find them! (Unfortunately I had to have a locked
mailbox installed because of mail stealing dicks)
[] schackel 15 points 9 hours ago
You know was does suck - their trucks - they get about 10 mpg.
[] JeremyR22 72 points 8 hours ago*
But are reliable as hell, last forever and have easily replaced, easily obtained parts.
They were built to last for a very long time. Their poor fuel economy pays off against the
low cost of keeping them running.
They've not built a new one since 1994. Every single one you see on the road is at least 23
years old (and up to 30 years old) and still running.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_LLV
And besides, I'm not sure what the MPG of your typical modern family car would be if you
stopped and started every couple of feet to deliver mail but it wouldn't be much...
[] SounderBruce 17 points 8 hours ago
They're working on a large-scale replacement and in the meantime are using Ram
ProMaster vans that probably get better gas mileage (couldn't find an exact number
quickly).
[] mtranda 5 points 5 hours ago
That thing has a surprisingly distinct european look to it (think

Citroen/Peugeot/Renault/Ford vans). I guess the shape's a convergent thing, as it's
what's universally accepted as the best option. But the rest of the touches sort of
diverge from the typical US car design, as I've always been surprised at the styling
differences between the two continents.
[] happyscrappy 6 points 4 hours ago
It is European.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Ducato
Styling doesn't diverge anymore simply because all American vans are
European now except for the Chevy Express.
Not to mention are easily repairable. I don't think our maintenance guys have to be
ase certified or even have a history in vehicle repair. Most of our trucks have squares
cut in the back to make the fuel pumps easily replaceable. As much as I love my
suburban, I'd hate to put it through what my mail truck goes through day in and day
out. But those things keep on starting, day in and day out.
[] lolwutpear 9 points 5 hours ago
I never, until today, considered how weird it was that mail trucks have remained
constant for my entire life.
[] ridger5 2 points 7 hours ago
It bugs me that they have to shut the car off at every stop. I feel like the savings in
gas can't be outweighing the wear on the starter and flywheel, but apparently it does...
[] prodigioso 8 points 4 hours ago
Carrier here. Turning the motor off is done for safety reasons, as to avoid making
the mistake of dismounting the truck while it is not in PARK, thus causing a
rollaway.
We have to shut them off because vehicles have rolled away and hit other
vehicles/people/animals.
[] trentblase 14 points 8 hours ago
Does that include all the stops they make, or is it the epa City mileage? Most carriers I see
drive a bit and then walk around with a big bag delivering, so the effective distance
covered is higher than actual miles driven

16 city & 18 mpg highway is the EPA rating but this doesnt include the excessive stop
and go of the average route thus lowering it to about 10 mpg.
[] wishiwasAyla 6 points 6 hours ago
Those are likely city carriers, who do the bulk of delivery on foot. Rural carriers do all
of their delivery from the vehicle. Mailboxes by the street? Rural route, even if it's in a
"city". Mailboxes by the front door? City route.
[] WolverineJive_Turkey 4 points 5 hours ago
Not always. I have a whole neighborhood of mailboxes lm the door. Yes it sucks
cause I'm a rural carrier. But generally speaking, youre correct.
[] wishiwasAyla 3 points 5 hours ago
Thanks for the correction! My mom is a rural carrier, so my knowledge is just

based on her experience. I do know she delivers to NDCBUs and a small
neighborhood mailroom along with mostly roadside boxes, so I guess those are
also an exception to delivering only from the vehicle.
[] cactusmac54 9 points 8 hours ago
Actually, they get closer to 15-18 mpg. Source: USPS employee for 33 years
Not according to the OIG...

https://www.uspsoig.gov/tags/llv
[] BaiRuoBing 4 points 6 hours ago
Wouldn't it have more to do with they way they have to drive? Most people don't stop
multiple times per block.
[] Amessersmith109 7 points 7 hours ago
My postal worker wont even come to my mailbox if my car is in the street (across the
driveway from my mailbox...)
Have you ever talked to your carrier?

[] HerbalTeaParty 6 points 5 hours ago
Anyone who talks shit about the US postal service needs to go to Argentina and try to get
some mail
[] SilasX 6 points 8 hours ago
But they're scary in their own way. I mean, nothing stops them! Not rain, not sleet, not dead
of night. Not gates!
[] sculptedpixels 5 points 4 hours ago
cue trump trying to destroy the post office...

Republicans have been trying to do that for over a decade. USPS survives despite literally
ridiculous fiscal hamstringing designed to make it fail.
Additionally, air mail is outsourced to FedEx and USPS is now also contracted to deliver for
Amazon on off days.
[] somedude456 354 points 6 hours ago*
I never mail anything, but recently I had several forms to mail out. I went to both UPS and USPS.
At both, there was a line of locals sending large boxes of all sorts of stuff to Puerto Rico. I'm
talking 3 foot square boxes, generators, etc. My instant sarcasm was "Yeah, that's going to be
delivered anytime soon." I then asked a coworker whose family is from PR and she told me not all
houses are getting deliveries, but the local post offices are. She said anyone can send stuff, and
those families with no power, destroyed houses, etc can stop by their local USPS and see if any
packages are waiting for them. I gotta admit, that's pretty damn impressive. Well done USPS!
[] greenslime300 158 points 5 hours ago
I work at a UPS Store, we've been getting bombarded with people wanting to ship generators
for the past 3 weeks. UPS finally just lowered the rates to PR so it's been great business.
Puerto Ricans have so many generous relatives here in the US, it seems
[] Virreinatos 95 points 5 hours ago
This is what my Jersey family spent the other day doing.

[] somedude456 17 points 4 hours ago
Wow, I'm amazed all that fit in those. Gotta ask, what was the bill?
I'm not sure since I'm in CA. Some family members are God Tier Couponeers, as in
buy 10 bottles of shampoo for a dollar after rebates. So it might not have been as
expensive as it looks.
Shipping those flat rate boxes is $20 or so per, so that definitely added up.
[] somedude456 5 points 4 hours ago
Ok, I was referring to just the shipping. $20 each, I guess, it's that bad.
[] notfin 3 points 3 hours ago
It looks like 18 boxes so $360

[] TheMillenniumMan 7 points 3 hours ago
They're flat rate boxes, it can hold like 70 pounds in there if you can fit
it and the cost is the same.
[] creepyeyes 23 points 5 hours ago
Same. I just wish we didn't have to do customs invoices for PR, its never made any sense
to me, especially since PR isn't even a different country and if you end up doing it as a
postal shipment it doesn't actually print the invoice you spent all that time making at the
end.
[] docsnavely 7 points 4 hours ago
Wait, what? Youre telling me that you have to fill out a customs slip for packages sent
to Pr?
[] monkeyvoodoo 13 points 3 hours ago
not actually a state, blah blah :\

Thats just fucking absurd! Im surprised that I never heard this with all of the
Puerto Ricans I grew up with and worked with. Thats craziness!
[] monkeyvoodoo 7 points 3 hours ago
It's a weird situation. The process for becoming a state makes it a bit
difficult to do, especially if the idea is contended among the population, as it
is in PR. So they're stuck being a Territory with some means of
representation but not full statehood. It's weird.
Yeah I knew about the voting for potus only when in CONUS and the
non-voting Representitive, but a customs form but yet that archaic
interstate shipping law counts for them. Too much inconsistency.
Should just wipe their debt and encourage a full statehood referendum.
I know it has been voted on a couple times, but with no debt looming
over the island, I would think the resistance to statehood would start to
disappear.
Hell, if Congress doesnt want to have 51 stars we can just drop WV,
ND, AL, or even FL to make it easier.
[] sexdrugsandwifi 6 points 4 hours ago
Like 5 million Puerto Ricans in the mainland to take care of the 3.5 Puerto Ricans in the
island!
[] ToxinFoxen 336 points 7 hours ago
"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion
of their appointed rounds"
[] 8andahalfby11 106 points 6 hours ago
Through the snow and sleet and hail

through the blizzard, through the gale
through the wind and through the rain
over mountain, over plain
through the blinding lightning flash
and the mighty thunder crash
ever faithful, ever true
nothing stops them! They'll get through!
[] deck65 6 points 2 hours ago
"I hate the snow. I hate the snow. I hate the sleet and I hate the snow."
Hey Arnold
[] phelyan 45 points 6 hours ago
PS: Don't ask us about Mrs. Cake.

[] DontmindthePanda 3 points 2 hours ago
r/expectedPratchett
Have my upvote
[] JRandomHacker172342 14 points 4 hours ago
The mail is the one final hope for resurrecting a dead planet from its ashes, and the letter
carriers are the brave soldiers of God in this righteous crusade. They are the defenders of the
light of knowledge, free communication, and the exchange of ideas. They are the bold toters
of all those little papery conduits of freedom, the white postmarked angels that whisper a
message on their deliverance, a promise to the yearning: "There is hope yet."
Liberty. Reason. Justice. Civility. Edification. Perfection.
MAIL.
[] Yawehg 10 points 6 hours ago
I can only ever think of it in all caps.

[] NJ_Legion_Iced_Tea 7 points 3 hours ago
Goddamn do I love that style of architecture.

Just look at that building.
[] autotldr 280 points 11 hours ago
This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 81%. (I'm a bot)
GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico - With the Puerto Rico power grid shredded by Hurricane Maria, the
U.S. Postal Service has taken the place of cellphone service at the forefront of island
communications.
Only 15 percent of electrical power has been restored since the storm bludgeoned the U.S.
territory on Sept. 20, but 99 of Puerto Rico's 128 post offices are delivering mail.
Mail carriers gather information on sick and elderly residents in far-flung parts where hospitals
have closed.
Extended Summary | FAQ | Feedback | Top keywords: Service#1 mail#2 Postal#3 where#4
resident#5
[] Level9TraumaCenter 65 points 5 hours ago
Many years ago, while taking a course on handling large-scale disasters, we were told one of the
better options on a local level is to find the postmaster. Unlike in the movies, generally the streets
don't have nice, neat piles of rubble that you can steer around- all transportation may be
obliterated.
The people who know the area like their own backyard are the posties. And they would make a
good resource in the event of a disaster because they may know the area better than almost
anyone else, even when the routes are impassable and the street signs are gone.
[] SilentUnicorn 43 points 5 hours ago
One resident said the return of the mail service was comforting, a sign of a return to normalcy.
But another greeted Martinez with a warning.
If you are bringing me any utility bills, go away, she said.
lol...
[] Open_Thinker 17 points 4 hours ago
One plucky woman, having heard the postman was on the way, stood stoically with her
mailbox tucked under her arm. No one minded when mail carrier Alfredo Martinez showed
up out of uniform, unable to do laundry for lack of clean water.
These Puerto Ricans seem pretty practical and upstanding.
[] MtnMaiden 76 points 10 hours ago
RIDE! RIDE POSTMAN!

[] ThatGuyFromDaBoot 37 points 7 hours ago
I have been direct shipping supplies USPS. Everything is running on time. Fuck yeah.
With more Puerto Rican living in the US than in the island, it's only a matter of time for the USPS
to have delivered more food and assistance than FEMA.
[] HauschkasFoot 45 points 11 hours ago
Rain, sleet, or snow

[] mandy009 5 points 5 hours ago
nor hurricane
[] Wolf-Head 88 points 10 hours ago
Congress will find a new way to fuck with them as a 'thank you'.
[] always_in_debt 23 points 3 hours ago
They want to take away alot of our retirement. If redditers could call congress and tell them to
to vote no on postal cuts that would be awesome.
[] obrothermaple 9 points 4 hours ago
If this was Canada post they would have missed Puerto Rico and rerouted through
china>Europe>back to Asia>Lost in Transit
[] charity-bot-v1 52 points 12 hours ago
Please consider donating to support the victims of Hurricane Maria and help rebuild Puerto Rico:
United for Puerto Rico
Global Giving
I am a bot - if I did something wrong, let me know | source
[] Litchel 14 points 9 hours ago
http://betterpuertorico.org is another foundation.

[] CAD007 6 points 6 hours ago
Just like Kevin Costner in The Postman!

[] Bogartsboss 47 points 6 hours ago
This is the service the Republicans tried to kill.

[] i010011010 3 points 4 hours ago
Led by Kevin Costner?

[] burts_beads 6 points 4 hours ago
I'll give a shout out to FedEx as well, and one awesome driver in Ponce. He's delivered a couple
packages already to my girlfriend's family. I know it's a business and they have incentive to do
their job, but I'm damn thankful my gf's family is supplied with food, fans, and batteries.
[] taylorjonesphoto 5 points 4 hours ago
Unsung heroes, the postal service is a great asset and a brilliant public service.
[] NSA_Chatbot 4 points 5 hours ago
David Brin smiles.

[] ClassifiedRain 5 points 4 hours ago
I'm probably one of the proudest Puerto Ricans on earth. Super grateful for all USPS has done and
is still doing, I certainly don't mind a few advertisements in the mail because these people are
helping my people at a time where things are desperate.
Hopefully it's not weird to love a government service, but I love you, USPS. Thank you from the
bottom of my heart.
[] FlatTuesday 8 points 5 hours ago
I haven't seen anything about the use of mesh networks in Puerto Rico except for this article
which generally downplays the usefulness of mesh networks and even says, "Mesh networks
usually require Wi-Fi routers, which need power" - which is patently untrue. There are lots of cell
phone mesh apps that establish ad hoc peer-to-peer networks between the phones themselves,
without cell towers or wifi. That's the whole idea.
Phone mesh apps are popular with American middle and high school students, many of whom
don't have data plans and/or aren't allowed to use the school's wifi - because you don't need any
of that, all you need is phones. This 2015 article about Jott, a popular app, even talks about how
useful mesh apps could be in the event of natural disasters that knock out power.
I don't understand why this technology isn't right out in front of people's faces at times like this.
[] InadequateUsername 7 points 4 hours ago
Because a phone needs power too.

[] murad_mia1 11 points 5 hours ago
U.S. mail carriers are the real MVP everywhere. People talk shit about the post office, but really,
the fact that the U.S. postal system works as well as it does, as inexpensively as it does, is a
goddamn miracle. I love postal workers, and you should do. They make the world go 'round.
[] In_between_minds 16 points 5 hours ago
USPS also handles the "last mile" for a bunch of UPS FEDEX and other carriers because it
would "cost too much" for the other carriers to service the areas. Without USPS the delivery
areas of UPS and FEDEX would look like a spotted cat.
[] promyy 4 points 3 hours ago
Why would you even copy the top comment from the same thread you posted in? lol
[] creatorfirst 3 points 3 hours ago
I love postal service worker, especial postmen they work like magician. They can find any exciting
address on this earth.
[] dekrant 3 points 3 hours ago
The mail always goes through

[] cheesehuahuas 4 points 5 hours ago
Kevin Costner did a documentary about this a while back.

[] LifeProPenisTip 4 points 3 hours ago
Fuck the GOP. They want to privatize the USPS. (And the Forest Service)
[] Health-is-life 7 points 4 hours ago
I requested no junk mail and get most of my bills via email. I'd like to know how to request no
junk mail in the US, please.
[] fungus_eater 2 points 6 hours ago
thats nice
about help apps & tools <3

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U.S. Mail Carriers Emerge As Heroes in Puerto Rico Recovery: Top 200 Comments

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10/10/2017 U.S.

mail carriers emerge as heroes in Puerto Rico recovery : worldnews

I know you...You're famous.

[] Zom_Betty 21 points 5 hours ago

The Postman, man. Kevin Costner's 8th Filter Trump

[] igloo27 74 points 5 hours ago

[] GinericGinger 6 points 3 hours

you, you get me Feature stories

thought it was Iggy Pop in that Continued or outstandingly blatant

permalink embed parent report

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[] DiabolicallyRandom 7 points 3 hours ago

Aww... this gave me a sad. Sticky Posts

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[] CelineHagbard 32 points 6 hours ago

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[] Justneedtacos 13 points 5 hours ago

[] jlaw54 5 points 5 hours ago

Its one of the best

[] ThisDerpForSale 5 points 4 hours ago

The book is even better.

[] ew73 5 points 4 hours ago

[] kare_kano 4 points 3 hours ago

Oh we know it, we just don't want to talk about it.

[] Enshakushanna 9 points 6 hours ago

its also like, 11 hours long

[] SomeThingsNeedDoing 12 points 4 hours ago

2:57. So barely longer than the new blade runner.

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[] gypsydrifter 29 points 5 hours ago

[] ThisDerpForSale 14 points 4 hours ago

[] gypsydrifter 11 points 4 hours ago

[] ThisDerpForSale 6 points 3 hours ago

[] gypsydrifter 8 points 3 hours ago

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[] bat_in_the_stacks 4 points 4 hours ago

[] gypsydrifter 11 points 4 hours ago

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[] Thejailer 12 points 6 hours ago

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[] FriendsCallMeCharlie 3820 points 12 hours ago

U.S. mail carriers are the real MVP everywhere.

[] scott81425 831 points 10 hours ago

[] HP844182 433 points 9 hours ago

[] cttttt 294 points 8 hours ago

[] unicornlocostacos 207 points 8 hours ago

I pay so little attention, I've probably accidentally thrown away bills in my

[] rabidhamster 151 points 4 hours ago

Luckily, my postman organizes my mailbox by mail type. Even if I don't

[] mandolin2712 99 points 4 hours ago

You should leave him cookies or something

[] JBird700 52 points 4 hours ago

As a postal worker thats way beyond what I do. We fold flats/magazines

[] Firepower01 22 points 3 hours ago

[] dragonfangxl 5 points 3 hours ago

sure thing cliff

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I like your honesty

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[] Grammarisntdifficult 12 points 4 hours ago