Being nice to your Letter Carrier could save your life
By Joanie
@Freelanzer (10782)
Canada
June 29, 2018 12:34pm CST
I have heard many stories over the years of letter carriers saving lives when I worked at the post office.
One such story was about an elderly man, John, who chatted on a daily basis with his mailman. When the mailman didn't see John one day he wondered if something was wrong but shrugged it off. On the second day, he didn't see John again and his mail from the day before was still in his box.
The letter carrier knew from their conversations that John had lived alone and had no family so he called the police and expressed his concern. The police were hesitant to get involved but ended up entering the home. John had fallen and was in serious condition. He was on the floor since the previous day and couldn't reach the phone. He was taken to the emergency and survived.
This story could have ended differently if John was rude to his mailman. I have heard many home owners call to complain about their letter carrier for very minor things which usually are not the fault of the letter carrier.
Are you nice to your mailman/woman, letter carrier? Have you ever complained about or complimented your Letter carrier.?
9 people like this
10 responses
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
30 Jun 18
i'm grateful our longtime mailman is nice, so are the meter reader for our water, and the messengers delivering bank statements.
the one delivering the electric bill is not. he just leaves it on the gate and doesn't ring the doorbell to alert us. sometimes it falls, thankfully inside the gate, sometimes it gets wet when it rains.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
30 Jun 18
@Freelanzer i understand if he's always in a hurry if he needs to reach many houses, but the doorbell is right there. he could just press it and call out 'meralco' then go on his way. at least he alerted us so we can go out and get it immediately.
1 person likes this
@Freelanzer (10782)
• Canada
30 Jun 18
It is good to have a delivery person you can trust with your important items. Leaving it on the gate is not very nice.
1 person likes this
@sunrisefan (28524)
• Philippines
30 Jun 18
@hereandthere Our postman is laxy - he lumps our mails that sometimes they are delivered as late as over 2 months. He always reasons out that they are shorthanded. Good thing I don't rely on notices to pay my bills; otherwise, I would be paying past due dates. I keep a list of all due dates of my bills so I pay even without receiving the notices.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
30 Jun 18
One thing I miss since moving to the city is having a letter carrier that comes to the house. I have two personal examples of letter carriers who have helped. When we still lived in Templeton, a rural area, the mailman drove up to the door one day with the mail and asked if we had an order in to forward it. Someone, a crook, had done an address change over the internet to forward our mail to an address we had never heard of. The mail carrier was suspicious since he could see we were still living at the house. When he confirmed the order wasn't from us he gave us our mail and canceled the order. I hope they caught the person who was trying to steal our mail.
On another occasion, a sadder one, my husband got a call from the carrier who delivered mail to my mother-in-law's home in Carmel Valley. She had just moved to our property, but had not yet moved her valuables because she thought her house was safer than the mobile home on our property. The mail carrier noticed things weren't right and told my husband it appeared someone had broken in. They had, and they had stolen all the valuables my mil had left right by the front door so they would be easy for my husband to pick up later.
1 person likes this
@Freelanzer (10782)
• Canada
30 Jun 18
Those are two great examples of how the letter carrier can help. So sad about your mother - in- law's valuables. I am sure there were items that were irreplaceable. I wonder if it was someone who knew the items were left there.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
1 Jul 18
@Freelanzer I think they finally caught him because he had hit some other houses, too, but we didn't have time to pursue it except with the insurance company. By then my husband's mother was dying. That's why she had moved onto our property.
1 person likes this
@Freelanzer (10782)
• Canada
2 Jul 18
@bagarad Glad they caught him but what stress for her to have to deal with in her condition. Sorry for your loss.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128837)
• Gainesville, Florida
1 Jul 18
I am nice to not only my mailman, but to any worker I encounter throughout the day. Even when I see prisoners out on the side of the road picking up trash, I will say hi to them. You never know when a brief smile, a handshake, or a quick hello will make someones's day. There's already too much negativity in the world, I try to shed a little positivity into people's lives.
1 person likes this
@Freelanzer (10782)
• Canada
2 Jul 18
That is the best attitude to have. You never know when you will need someone.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128837)
• Gainesville, Florida
5 Jul 18
@Freelanzer Yes, it's always nice to be able to call on someone when you're in need, and know that you can count on the person to return the favor to you from when you helped them or were nice to them in the past.
1 person likes this
@Freelanzer (10782)
• Canada
30 Jun 18
That is good to hear and it helps if she is also a nice person.
1 person likes this
@mlgen1037 (29882)
• Manila, Philippines
29 Jun 18
Hi Freelanzer. I think if you show kindness, it will come back to you a hundred times. One act of kindness leads to another. We used to have this mailman who was always cheerful until the time I grew up, it was still him who send those letters until he no longer delivers them because he was too old. He was good friends with my parents and was really nice.
1 person likes this
@Freelanzer (10782)
• Canada
29 Jun 18
Most of the mailmen I had were nice, some were more friendly than others but I was respectful to them all.
1 person likes this
@mlgen1037 (29882)
• Manila, Philippines
30 Jun 18
@Freelanzer It pays to be kind, my friend. The people we do not expect to be there for us are usually the first people who will be looking for us. 
1 person likes this
@Freelanzer (10782)
• Canada
29 Jun 18
We still get daily mail delivery here as they not only deliver letters but parcels as well.
1 person likes this
@mawdest (1587)
• Canada
30 Jun 18
Very interesting!
I never see my letter carrier, that is, I never see him deliver my mail, but the funny thing is I know him personally! I know a lot of letter carriers/people that work for the post office, mainly because my aunt used to work for the post office for over 30 years.. She actually just retired this year after all that time.
@Courtlynn (67089)
• United States
29 Jun 18
We live in an apartment complex, so all 150 apartments mailboxes are in the same spot at the office.. which means we hardly see the mailman, unless he has a package to bring to the house.
But it is good, for those who have their mailboxes at their front yards to be nice to / make chit chat with their mailpersons.
1 person likes this
@Freelanzer (10782)
• Canada
29 Jun 18
Our mail is always delivered to the door while for others they may never see their mailman like in your case. Because they come to the door, I get to know them.
1 person likes this
@Freelanzer (10782)
• Canada
30 Jun 18
Me too. Always have a good relationship with letter carriers.
1 person likes this
@Starmaiden (9308)
• Canada
29 Jun 18
I have no problems with my mail carrier. I only see her once in a while and it is always a courteous encounter.
1 person likes this
@Freelanzer (10782)
• Canada
29 Jun 18
Yes you don't have to be best friends but being courteous is important.
1 person likes this
