As the U.S. Postal Service reels from a budget crisis and attacks from President Trump, a growing number of people are rushing to defend the agency. These include politicians from both parties but also many ordinary Americans, who are sticking up for the USPS and for their neighborhood mail carriers as well.
In a popular thread on the social media site Reddit, a reader posed the questions to postal workers: “What do you need right now? How can we brighten your day when we see you on our routes?”
The queries produced a flood of responses. Postal workers, who make a median hourly wage of $17.57 according to job site Indeed, have shared some of the toughest parts of their jobs—and offered ideas about how customers can make them better.
One big challenge of delivering the mail—especially this time of year—is the heat. A number of Reddit contributors pointed out that many USPS vehicles don’t have air conditioning, and that customers who leave ice water or cold drinks for carriers can brighten their day.
One carrier, though, said that while water and treats and cold beverages are appreciated, that the best thing a customer can do is provide a bigger mailbox—one that can be reached from the truck and accommodate all mail and parcels. A second carrier shared this sentiment.
“I got ice cold water homies. GIMME THAT BIG OLE BOX!!!!,” wrote one Reddit responder, who described themselves as a rural carrier.
Other carriers likewise pleaded to customers to make their job easier by ensuring that their address is clearly visible from the street, and to turn on porch lights for evening deliveries.
Some carriers on the Reddit thread reported anxiety over the pandemic, including one who asked customers to stay inside their houses until their packages have been delivered.
The most common sentiment, though, came in the form of postal carriers thanking customers who showed kindness and patience in the form of greetings or notes.
“When the quarantine was just getting started, a few of my customers left me a note in their mailbox,” wrote one. “I’d say this small kindness would be much appreciated again with all of this political nonsense interfering with my career.”