Ran to the front door and out to the street barefoot. No mail carrier or truck in sight. Threw on shoes, bag in hand, drove down the street and all the little culs-de-sac for a mile. No truck, no mail carrier. Amazing skills.
Replies
A true ninja would have done all that and delivered the package though.
aug 26, 2025, 1:32 pm • 12 0 • view
We’ve had the same USPS carrier guy for at least 10 years and he deserves a Stakhanovite medal for regularly going above & beyond. A vanishing breed I’m afraid. When he goes on vacation and temps do delivery, Murphy’s Law takes over the route. Chaos ensues.
aug 26, 2025, 1:12 pm • 6 0 • view
Being a USPS part timer was rough. The training is outdated, the hardware is outdated, and you come in with the promise that you will shadow one route, and then cover that route while the main takes their day off. Instead, every day they call you in and shove you on a random route.
aug 26, 2025, 1:19 pm • 4 0 • view
Given the results, that makes sense.
aug 26, 2025, 1:21 pm • 0 0 • view
The route is defined by a paper sheet telling you what streets you need to travel on, for how many miles, and what direction to turn. Most of these routes are also outdated, and would be impossible to follow using a current map.
aug 26, 2025, 1:21 pm • 2 0 • view
Ultimately, most temps quit. The ones that don't are too stubborn, too desperate, or figure out how to game the system by doing crap like scanning all the packages en route, or marking stuff they don't have time for as 'delivery attempt'.
aug 26, 2025, 1:23 pm • 2 0 • view
City carriers are a bit more regulated, and have check in points along the route that make them less prone to bad practice -- but rural carriers? My takeaway from that whole experience was to just rent a PO BOX.
aug 26, 2025, 1:27 pm • 2 0 • view
We used to live in a house a 1/4 mile down a gravel drive, and a couple times a month I'd go out to the mailbox at the street and find a "delivery attempted" slip that said nobody was home to receive the package. I work from home. I'm *always* home.
aug 26, 2025, 3:24 pm • 3 0 • view
Mine is a vampire. I have cameras covering ever square inch of the property. I got an “Attempted delivery” but nobody showed up on any camera all morning! Obviously a vampire!
aug 26, 2025, 1:25 pm • 4 0 • view
Man
aug 27, 2025, 1:07 am • 0 0 • view
I've watched mine pull in and met them at the door as they were reaching out to stick the sorry I missed you sticker on my door. There was no shame.
aug 26, 2025, 1:15 pm • 3 0 • view
I’m no published author 😬 but similarly- I will get the package delivered notification on my phone, go to the door, on to see my mai carrier still walking up the block. I said as much to her and she said “we’re never early and never late..” and gave me a little grin. We are everywhere 😏
aug 26, 2025, 1:12 pm • 3 0 • view
Must be a former Fedex employee. They all get ninja non-delivery training over there.
aug 26, 2025, 2:25 pm • 2 0 • view
We've got the FedEx guy trained to just dump it on the back porch.
aug 27, 2025, 1:06 am • 1 0 • view
My favorite Fedex/UPS excuse is "no delivery due to inclement weather". For a while we were routinely on the phone to cust. service going "Bad weather?? It's 70 degrees and the sun has been shining all day!!"
aug 26, 2025, 3:57 pm • 2 0 • view
Oh, worse (I think) is they blame my dogs!! I’m always watching my dogs when they’re outside and never has a mail driver come around at that time.
aug 27, 2025, 1:22 am • 1 0 • view