The only time I ever wore a uniform, it was the light blue shirt and navy blue pants required by Trinity Catholic.
Light blue shirt? Navy blue pants? Perhaps that's why the customary garb of a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier feels so comfortable. Having never been in the military or law enforcement, it's actually kind of exciting to look in the mirror and see the blue shirt and matching baseball cap.
If only I had known my gear would be dripping wet a few hours later.
The whole idea was to get a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a letter carrier. Customer service manager Bridget Robertson was nice enough to provide a uniform and pair me with Walter Nelson Jr., a seven-year veteran who operates out of the Seminole station.
Inside Seminole station this Wednesday morning, there's a fair amount of camaraderie and playful ribbing, and Walter draws a lot of it. A former Army veteran, he just smiles at the chatter. He's glad this isn't a rigid, stuffy station.
The teasing extends to me. One of Walter's co-workers points out that my uniform is not quite complete. First of all, my socks, shoes and shirt are out of regulation: all shoes must be black with slip-resistant soles; all socks must have blue stripes. And the shorts have to have blue stripes down the side.
Who knew?
They also are quick to point out that I lack the requisite pen in pocket and rubber band on the wrist. After making those additions, I am ready to deliver the mail. It helps that Nelson, who is 47, arrived before me and did the sorting.
More than 70 percent of the mail is sorted by Delivery Points Sequenced, a computerized system at the main office at Tampa International Airport. There is, however, residual mail that has to be hand-sorted. This includes flat mail and magazines. Using eight shelves (each shelf has 40 slots), Walter divides it by address and then organizes it for maximum efficiency.
After helping him load the truck, I catch up with him on Chelsea Street. Under Walter's supervision, I load my bag with the necessary mail and parcels and set off to deliver to houses on foot.
Wednesday and Thursday are third-bundle days, meaning in addition to the DPS mail and the hand-sorted mail, you have advertising mailers (The Advo on Tuesday and The Flyer on Wednesdays). Typically, you carry two bundles, one in each hand. On third-bundle days, you balance the first two bundles on one hand while reaching for The Flyer with the other hand.
It's easier said than done, and the last thing you want to do is drop a bundle. I find myself longing for a third arm.
The amazing thing is how well Walter knows his route. He gives me caveats with each house.
"This house has a dog and he hates me, but he's in the house," Walter explains. "This lady has a lot of cats so you better watch your step."
I soon discover that no one knows a neighborhood and its people better than a letter carrier. If you need to find an address with a fraction in it, start with the postman.
In fact, Walter has memorized the names of residents, even those who have moved so he can take their mail back to the station.
The biggest obstacle for a letter carrier is dogs. We carry dog repellent. Walter says he's had to use it a few times. Along with the pets are strays. Still, in seven years, he has been bitten only once.
The other obstacle is heat. After six houses, my back is stained with sweat, and more sweat falls in beads off my forehead. Three streets later my nice baseball cap is soaked.
It's only 10 a.m. and Walter won't finish until 4. Two 10-minute breaks are sandwiched around a 30-minute lunch break. Bar codes are affixed to various mailboxes along the route. He scans them so a computer can track his progress.
With the heat and the dogs, I can only imagine what it will be like for Walter at 1 in the afternoon. Only the rain is worse than the humidity, he says. When he started, he lost 18 pounds in a matter of months.
I guess the next time the Postal Service needs letter carriers, they can create a classified ad to rival those abs-crunching, bun-tightening infomercials. Who else can promise to pay you while you lose weight?
That's all I'm saying.
- Ernest Hooper can be reached at 226-3406 or Hooper@sptimes.com His column appears on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
