Where’s my package!! Many of us are feeling a little frustration with the USPS. In tracking our packages we get the message, “Your package will arrive later than expected, but is still on its way. It is currently in transit to the next facility.”
Christmas presents arriving late. Not good, But in this case it’s understandable, and forgivable. A huge amount of packages and rising employee Covid-19 rates are causing backlogs at US Postal Service processing facilities.
All the shopping and shipping Americans have done in the last few weeks has inundated the system with what the USPS says is a “historic volume” of mail and packages. A news report on the evening of the 24th stated that Americans can expect over three million packages to not reach their destination on time.
The following is from a CNN article on the issue:
“The packages are up to the ceiling” in Philadelphia, local American Postal Workers Union president Nick Casselli told CNN. “I’ve been in postal for 35 years, I’ve never seen what I’m seeing.” He says there are so many new packages — upwards to 250,000 a day at the largest processing facility — that the USPS opened a fourth annex just to store them all. There are so many incoming packages the postal workers can’t process them in time, Casselli said.”
According to the CNN article there are now upwards of 18,750 USPS employees across the US on the quarantine list every day. This, combined with the fact that so many of us are not able to shop in the stores for our Christmas gifts and turn to online shopping, it has become what the USPS calls a ‘perfect storm’.
John Bevacqua, AMS V.P. Logistics, said, “The Perfect Storm Indeed, Not only has the USPS experienced the huge surge of packages, all of the private carriers including DHLeCom, UPS and FedEx are overwhelmed and have the privilege of capping or not even picking up for some retailers and customers. Unlike USPS not having that same luxury of holding back on the package volume, turning people down their volume dwarfs both UPS and FDX. Typically during peak season over the past 5 years we have seen spikes of up to 10-15% and this year we are seeing 3 -4X’s that level.”
The Postal Service is utilizing as much overtime as possible, working around the clock and on weekends, and eventually our packages will reach their destination.
John offered, “For all of those feeling the frustration of a package arriving later than expected this is a storm no one could avoid or be fully prepared to take on.This is temporary and things will get better but for now – let’s commend those that have worked so very hard to fill and deliver for those shoppers choosing to buy online versus visiting their favorite stores.
Happy Holidays – we have much to be grateful for!