# What time does your mail arrive? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 16, 2010, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-does-your-mail-arrive/536350 "2010-04-16T15:20:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-does-your-mail-arrive/536350/1 "2010-04-16T15:20:21Z")
Obviously there’s going to be some variation – maybe even a lot of variation – but, on a typical day, when would you expect the mail arrive (at your home or residence, that is)? ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-does-your-mail-arrive/536350/2 "2010-04-16T15:23:16Z")
Between 1 and 2 pm, depending on mail volume and other stuff. We’re pretty early in the route, so I suspect that people at the end of this carrier’s route are getting their mail after 3. In winter, add the potential for a couple hours later on, especially if the carrier got assigned part of someone else’s route. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-does-your-mail-arrive/536350/3 "2010-04-16T15:27:48Z")
Noonish. Well, it gets stuffed in the communal box at the end of the road at noon. I pick it up a couple of times a week from there. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-does-your-mail-arrive/536350/4 "2010-04-16T15:43:31Z")
I don’t know. I’m not at home (work or at happy hour) when the mail arrives, unless it’s being delivered at 7:30 in the morning and I didn’t know, for lack of ever checking on the way out. On Saturdays, I either don’t check my mail because I haven’t gone anywhere, and it’s not worth the effort to go downstairs just to toss out junk mail or find a phone bill, or I check it on the way in from wherever I was. This is usually later in the day or evening, so it comes before 5:00pm. That’s all I know. ---
**Author:** ![breaking-reality](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a8b319/32.png) [@breaking-reality](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/breaking-reality)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-does-your-mail-arrive/536350/5 "2010-04-16T16:14:54Z")
I picked 11AM, but it’s for the office I work. When the mail man changes or there’s a substitute, it usually gets delivered later in the day. At home, I have no idea. It’s delivered by the time I get home. It really just depends where on their route you are. ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-does-your-mail-arrive/536350/6 "2010-04-16T23:28:19Z")
Get mail delivered twice a day. Once in the morning between 8:00AM and 9:00AM, and again in the afternoon generally between 3:00PM and 4:00PM. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Onimous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@Ann\_Onimous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Onimous)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-does-your-mail-arrive/536350/7 "2010-04-16T23:31:22Z")
Between noon and 1: most of the time, closer to noon. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-does-your-mail-arrive/536350/8 "2010-04-17T00:08:56Z")
> [@JKilez](#): > > Get mail delivered twice a day. Once in the morning between 8:00AM and 9:00AM, and again in the afternoon generally between 3:00PM and 4:00PM. Is that residential mail? What country do you live in? ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-does-your-mail-arrive/536350/9 "2010-04-17T01:53:30Z")
1 PM – though technically that’s when they promise everything will be in the box, since they don’t deliver around here and we have to rent PO boxes for mail. And so far it’s been true, though I usually don’t check it more than once a week or so unless I’m expecting something. ---
**Author:** ![Eggerhaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@Eggerhaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eggerhaus)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-does-your-mail-arrive/536350/10 "2010-04-17T02:18:58Z")
50000 pop suburb. All over the place. Sometimes 11am, sometimes 2pm, sometimes 5pm. No consistency whatsoever.:smack: ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-does-your-mail-arrive/536350/11 "2010-04-17T02:33:52Z")
I have no idea because I go up to check the mailbox about once a week, or less often if I forget. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-does-your-mail-arrive/536350/12 "2010-04-17T02:34:22Z")
3:30ish PM during the weekdays. 1PMish on Saturdays, I think. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Blue-Sighted\_Shadow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecae2f/32.png) [@The\_Blue-Sighted\_Shadow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Blue-Sighted_Shadow)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-does-your-mail-arrive/536350/13 "2010-04-17T03:22:25Z")
Around 4 pm. I’m the last house on the route, so it really depends on how the rest of his day goes. The mail truck doesn’t \*exactly \*peel out, but it does move pretty fast after my mail’s been delivered. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-does-your-mail-arrive/536350/14 "2010-04-17T12:40:18Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Is that residential mail? What country do you live in? Residential mail in the United State of Texas! Sure our schools suck, but we have a great turnaround time on Netflix DVDs. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-does-your-mail-arrive/536350/15 "2010-04-17T12:58:30Z")
> [@JKilez](#): > > Residential mail in the United State of Texas! Sure our schools suck, but we have a great turnaround time on Netflix DVDs. I have never heard of twice-a-day residential mail delivery. No wonder they’re in the red. ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-does-your-mail-arrive/536350/16 "2010-04-17T14:43:36Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > I have never heard of twice-a-day residential mail delivery. No wonder they’re in the red. The first run might be for general mail and the second run for packages–I am not sure. I do know that my larger parcels appear only to be delivered in the afternoon. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-does-your-mail-arrive/536350/17 "2010-04-17T14:44:16Z")
At the P.O., mail is put in the boxes by 10:30 am. This time has gotten later and later as they’ve added more and more boxes to the post office. It used to be 9:00 am. At home, the carrier ususally comes by about 2 pm although it has been as late as 5 and as early as 10. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-does-your-mail-arrive/536350/18 "2010-04-17T15:23:54Z")
> [@JKilez](#): > > The first run might be for general mail and the second run for packages–I am not sure. I do know that my larger parcels appear only to be delivered in the afternoon. I would assume that’s it. Maybe it’s done differently in smaller communities, but in New York regular mail and very small packages (those that fit in the priority mail envelopes, basically) are delivered by your local mail carrier on foot, while boxes and so forth are put on a separate truck. We had a nice, symmetrical bell curve centered around 1 PM going for a while, but it’s shifted to 2 PM and, while still a bell curve, is now lopsided. Oh well. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-does-your-mail-arrive/536350/19 "2010-04-17T15:36:04Z")
Usually before 2PM but on days when the weather starts to get more than merely ugly and into the near dangerous category we get mail much sooner. According to my regular letter carrier, our local office has a large number of part time and reserve carriers that they call up when the weather turns nasty. This cuts the individual route size nearly in half those days and thus we get mail by 10AM ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-does-your-mail-arrive/536350/20 "2010-04-19T09:15:18Z")
I can’t even answer the poll. We gave up trying to figure it out long ago - sometimes they are there at the crack of dawn, sometimes in the early afternoon…nothing regular. Maybe it is a Las Vegas thing - but not only do we have no clue when the mail shows up, but the same goes for garbage pick up - sometimes really early, sometimes really late. Same story for the recycling pick up. I think they sort of figure they get here when they get here - and get over it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-time-does-your-mail-arrive/536350.md?page=2)