Four reasons why we love seeing our UPS driver

I’ve written about some of the skills required to be a successful UPS driver. One I didn’t mention was the skill of making small talk. If a customer is on hand for the few seconds it takes me to complete my stop, I must keep up my side of a brief chat that shouldn’t interfere with or delay my work.

Since I don’t want to start something I can’t finish, I’m limited to exchanging simple pleasantries initiated by the customer. If I listen carefully to what they’ve just said, I can efficiently return their serve. I try to keep the proverbial ball on their side of the net as much as I can, matching volley with volley until I complete the stop and move on.

The regularity of these interactions turns them into momentary rituals, and as such they can feel a bit scripted. Conversation usually remains focused on the trivial and superficial. There may even be attempts at humor.

I’ve developed a small repertoire of clever comebacks. Since I’m not very quick-witted, I like phrases that are as versatile as they are pithy. For example, ‘I’m always disappointing people!’ works equally well in response to a customer who says, ‘You’re not [name of their usual driver]!’ as it does to an expectant neighbor for whom I have no delivery scheduled.

But these aren’t just verbal exchanges. They’re accompanied by choreographed movements: the approach, the encounter (with the transfer of packages), the retreat. These occasions of spatial closeness coupled with social distance are reminiscent of the pas de deux between Manhattanites and their doormen.

It’s a somewhat new role for me to occupy. I have a small family and a few close friends. I have my UPS coworkers – both fellow drivers as well as warehouse people – along with a far-flung network of former colleagues and students with whom I’m (still) friendly. And now I have all these folks who know me simply as ‘the UPS guy.’

This is a rather unique and interesting role. I’m what sociologist Georg Simmel calls a ‘stranger,’ in that I’m neither an insider nor an outsider to the neighborhoods and workplaces I visit. I belong in all of these spaces without belonging to any of them. As a ‘last-mile’ delivery person I’m a bridge connecting each of these spaces to the others and to the wider world.

One nice perk of the job, on top of all the others, is that most of the people I see, most of the time, are genuinely happy to see me. I’ve been reflecting on why this is. Here are a few of my thoughts:

1. We UPS drivers are generally happy in our work. Sure, we love to complain among ourselves. About everything. About unreasonable or unpleasant managers; about unequal workloads; about difficult customers; about endless bureaucratic rules (and the inconsistent enforcement of those rules); about long hours; about fellow drivers who work too fast or too slow; about unannounced or unexplained changes; and on and on.
   
   Complaining about work is a time-honored tradition, universal across all occupations and fields. It’s a way to blow off steam, and to express solidarity with one’s peers.
   
   But underneath all of that is often a fundamental sense of job satisfaction. One fellow driver told me that, ‘When I’m out on route I feel like I’m working for myself.’ There can even be pride. As another driver put it to me, ‘This is the first time in my career where I’m actually proud of what I do.’
   
   We’re active and outdoors for much of our shift, often in sunshine and good weather. We also make hundreds of work-related decisions each day, forcing us to remain fully present in the moment. As a result we enjoy many of the mental health benefits that accrue to those practices. And of course we also enjoy the wages, benefits, and security of a unionized job. Small wonder, then, that we’re usually in a pretty good mood when customers encounter us.
   
2. We’re a part of the everyday routine. For our frequent and everyday customers, there’s something very comforting when UPS shows up because of its regularity – often around the same time each day. It’s a reassuring reminder that all is well, that everything is as it should be. It can be quite disconcerting when UPS shows up late – or for some reason (god forbid) not at all.
   
   Indeed, a UPS driver in the instantly recognized brown uniform, entering and exiting the ubiquitous brown package car, is an indicator of ‘business as usual’ in the wider community.
   
   As the writer Jane Jacobs observed, exchanges between ‘known strangers’ in public spaces are hallmarks of city life – and, she argued, vital to its social fabric. Along with shopkeepers and local residents, UPS drivers are examples of what she famously called ‘eyes on the street,’ people whose mere presence contributes to overall neighborhood safety and wellbeing.
   
3. We’re also a break from the routine. At the same time, however, the UPS delivery or pickup can be a much-welcomed ‘time-out’ from whatever else is going in the customer’s life or work that day.
   
   Of course this isn’t always the case. Plenty of times I’ve felt like an unwelcome intrusion on whatever is already happening. I’ve stood awkwardly waiting for the customer to finish whatever uninterruptable task they must complete before turning their attention to me. Sometimes they ignore me completely, so I just try to be as unobtrusive as possible as I do my job without engaging them directly.
   
   Occasionally I’ve had to step into a situation that I wish I hadn’t, like when someone has just passed away, or when the police are on scene responding to some kind of trouble. Very awkward!
   
   For the most part, though, people are happy to stop whatever they’re doing for the five to 30 seconds it takes me to complete the exchange. I have to believe that for some of them, my appearance is one of the highlights of their day. Why would that be true? Because . . . .
   
4. We come bearing gifts. We aren’t letter carriers. We never bring bills or court orders or solicitations or any other unwelcome deliveries. Nothing but the good stuff that people want and are excited about! On Christmas Santa Claus wears red. On every other day he wears brown. Who wouldn’t be excited when we arrive?!

The feeling is often very mutual. While I can’t speak for every UPS driver, I know for a fact that I’m far from the only one who appreciates my customers and looks forward to seeing them out on route. There are several reasons why I love my job, but my customers definitely belong at the top of that list.

I leave it to a fellow driver to have the last word:

Next time you see us, we love treats and goodies to keep us hydrated and going. We love to be part of your lives. Our job brings us joy, but our customers bring us more joy!