Postal Carriers Working Hard During the Holidays

Kevin Anderson has been a postal worker for five years.

He starts his days when many of us are waking up. He clocks in around 7:30 AM and ends at about 5.

In the wintertime, he’s starting his days in the dark and ending that way.

The job can be dangerous, though safety is always the priority. It helps if customers can shovel their sidewalks after a snow.

“If customers could shovel, especially steps, if we have to go up to a house with a box if that’s on the house and sidewalks even out to the road, if you can,” says Anderson. “Then especially salt after there’s a melt and then it gets cold. It gets a little hectic as far as trying to pay attention to ice and stuff like that when you’re having extra stuff on you.”

This time of year, when its dark and cold, can make the job difficult. During the holidays, it can be even more of a challenge.

Anderson visits 400 houses a day, and this time of year can deliver up to 200 packages a day.

Salting and shoveling helps keep packages on time, so does lighting houses and keeping pets at bay.

“If you can leave porch lights on and kind of expect people are going to be there, and if you could maybe watch for us a little bit with pets and stuff like that, if you can keep dogs in later in the evening until we’re gone it’s a huge help,” says Anderson.

Anderson says he once got hurt on the job.

“I had a dog show up at a stop that normally wasn’t and found out that he wasn’t from the area,” says Anderson. “I tried to react to the dog and ended up actually running into a tree limb and tore a ligament in my knee, So not all that entertaining but that’s one you definitely don’t forget.”

And while many are facing a labor shortage, Anderson says there’s extra help for postal workers around the holidays.

“If we have a day where we need help or there’s someone off, we’ve done a pretty good job of making sure we have somebody every day,” says Anderson. “We also have people that return to help out during seasons and help through Christmastime.”

It’s all worth it though. Anderson says its rewarding to see the looks on customers faces.

“There’s days that are tough, but there’s not a lot of them to where you are thinking, I don’t want to go to work tomorrow, or anything like that,” he says. “It’s part of the job and there’s customers. Customers will leave you a thank you or a gift or things like that along the way. So that definitely perks you up a little bit.”

Anderson gets to know his customers well.  He coaches basketball in Evart, and learned that one of the homeowners is a relative to one of the players.

“I coach I believe it’s their cousin, second cousin,” he says. “We had a kid have a little bit of trouble last year where we had to use an AED And I know the relation here. And I don’t know if it’s coincidence or not, but they’ve helped out and made sure to thank me ever since. ”

The homeowner has left cookies and sweets out for him, as have others.

The job has its moments, like any other.

But if people help keep walkways and doorsteps clear and help light their way, postal workers can get packages delivered safely and on time. It also makes the job that much more rewarding.

 “You meet a lot of good people out here. You bring a bring somebody a package and most days it’s like you’re making their day. So it’s it’s rewarding,” says Anderson.