Pandemic, volume causing postal delays
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A record volume of packages and labor shortages caused by COVID-19 are two of the main causes of recent postal delays during the holiday season.
Local residents and gift-givers across the country have reported long delays for packages intended to reach their destinations by Christmas.
A concerned Lakewood resident reported that they sent packages to Boston on Dec. 15 that had been stuck in transit since Dec. 21.
"One package, sent from Vermont to Lakewood has been in the process since Dec. 10," the resident said. "My concern is that from my perspective there was no communication or seemingly less communication about how serious the problem was. Had, I think, consumers known they would have made other decisions."
According to Desai Abdul-Razzaaq, who handles strategic communications for the United States Postal Service in Western New York and Central Pennsylvania, there could be several reasons for the delays.
"The U.S. Postal Service, similar to the broader shipping sector, continues to face near-term pressure on service performance across categories as it manages through a historic record of holiday volume this season," Abdul-Razzaaq said.
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"This negative impact is compounded by the temporary employee shortage due to the COVID-19 surge, as well as ongoing capacity challenges with airlifts and trucking for moving this historic volume of mail."
Changes in the volume of mail being processed and staffing issues related to COVID-19 have forced the USPS to adapt in a short timeframe.
"Amid the historic volume, the Postal Service continues to flex its network, including making sure the right equipment is available to sort, process and deliver a historic volume of mail and packages this holiday season," Abdul-Razzaaq said. "Our entire operations team, from collections, to processing to delivery, worked throughout this past weekend and continues to work around the clock to address the historic volume. We are accepting all volume that is presented to us which is adding to our challenges."
Funding and operations for the USPS and its 644,000 employees came under scrutiny during the 2020 election, following the appointment of Louis DeJoy as Postmaster General in June.
According to the Associated Press, mailers around the country have reported delayed packages, including some that were shipped by two-day priority mail.