My name is Kris Anderson and I work for the Postal Service in Clintonville, WI. I’m a rural carrier, but for the past year and a half, I split my time between delivering mail and training new carriers.
My knees are bad, and as they got worse, my Postmaster encouraged me to go into carrier training. I really enjoy doing training and I’ve met so many interesting people.
I put a lot of extra time and effort into training. I provide lots of hands-on things for the new carriers to learn from. I made samples of 30 pieces of mail, each one with something written on it, such as “Return to Sender” or “Please Forward,” and I quiz the new carriers on what they should do with the mailpieces.
I have been a carrier for 22 years. For the first 14 years, I was a substitute carrier. I had children at home, so I could only work part time. After they got older, I was able to become a full-time carrier.
I love delivering mail. It’s the best job in the world. My route is about 80 miles long with about 650 customers. The office I work out of is fantastic. We have fewer substitute carriers right now, so we pull together so that people can have time off. I couldn’t ask for a better office.
My husband and I have been married for 30 years. We have five children — three boys and two girls. Our oldest is 38 and works for USPS as a supervisor at a nearby Post Office. Our youngest is 22. We have seven grandkids — six girls and one boy — with an eighth on the way. Our oldest grandchild is 17.
We just bought kayaks and an RV. We love camping. We hope to start traveling more.
The Postal Service has been a good place to work because the money has helped me raise my family, the benefits are good and the people I work with are great.