Meet Kevin Massey, the USPS city letter carrier for the west side of Eau Claire.

Kevin Massey has been a United States Postal Service (USPS) City Letter Carrier for 19 years. He delivers the mail on the west side of Eau Claire, including the Shawtown neighborhood, where this writer lives.

He follows in his father's footsteps – something he finds comfort in – as both a USPS carrier and as a military veteran. Both Massey men served in the United States Navy before their respective carrier careers. (Kevin has now surpassed his father's USPS career; he was a rural carrier for 17 years.)

From 1988-1992, Kevin served as a U.S. Navy gunners mate, and then again during Operation Desert Storm aboard the USS Mount Hood AE-29, where he achieved the rank of Third Class Petty Officer. Veterans receive preferential advantage in applying for U.S. federal civil service jobs, like the USPS, which is one of the largest employers of military veterans.

Ahead of this holiday season, I asked my favorite Shawtown mail carrier more about his methods to surviving holiday package and mail madness – and how people could thank their own regular mail carriers or delivery drivers.

”

THERE ARE MANY WAYS YOU CAN THANK YOUR MAIL CARRIER.

If a customer can have a well-maintained mailbox clear of snow or obstruction, that is a gift all in itself. If customers feel more is deserved, I’ll let their hearts consider that. I love my route and I love my customers so just having all the nice people on my route is a gift to me.

KEVIN MASSEY

EAU CLAIRE USPS MAIL CARRIER & U.S. NAVY VETERAN

What’s the secret to loading and organizing your vehicle to find packages quickly?

Our New Generation Delivery Vehicles (NGDVs), which look rather space-age, are a lot easier to organize parcels (in) with the shelving units we have inside. We can separate our parcels into sections or in parts of the route and bring them forward as needed when we get to that portion of the route. In the older Long-Lasting Vehicles (LLVs), we would separate our parcels in sections. But by the time we went around that first corner, or hit a bump in the road, all the parcels would end up in one section, which would make it harder to locate our next parcel when delivering to customers.

 

How do you handle an upset or impatient customer waiting on a holiday gift? 

Communication is the best solution. Using patience and calmness, after listening to their experience, I get their tracking number which I can take back to my management. Management can research where their parcel is at, and then I inform the customer, which usually satisfies them knowing their parcel is still in transit and in good hands.

What’s the most absurd weather-related story that’s impacted your work?

Several years ago, there was an unusual whiteout winter storm that had Eau Claire in a grid lock. After completing my route, I had some apprehension as traffic came to a crawl as I headed back to the office. It took over an hour to get back. It’s normally a 12-minute drive.

What could be the best way to thank a regular driver or mail carrier this time of year?

There are many ways you can thank your mail carrier. If a customer can have a well-maintained mailbox clear of snow or obstruction, that is a gift all in itself. If customers feel more is deserved, I’ll let their hearts consider that. I love my route and I love my customers so just having all the nice people on my route is a gift to me.

Anything else you would like to add?

I feel fortunate every day to be working for the USPS. As I deliver to customers on my route, I prioritize my commitment of service to the community. There will be days when I’m at my wits end and the mail is unending. Yet there is great satisfaction in getting the job done and in making someone happy. As we approach the busy holiday delivery season, I’d ask that you be kind and patient with your postal carriers and delivery people.

My wife has been the largest supporter of me being a letter carrier especially during the holiday seasons when we are called upon to work longer hours; including seasons like we are in now and in times of inclement weather. We’ve been married for 27 years, and we have adult children: a son and two daughters. During those busier times, when we were younger, I depended on my wife to take care of things at home and raise our young children.

To work off any stress from this job, in my free time, I love to go bicycling or walking on the many trails in the Eau Claire area. I also love yard work and landscaping and doing creative projects for peaceful down time. In addition, occasionally, I’ll go antiquing or check out the stores downtown with my family.