GREENSBORO, N.C. — The U.S. Shipping System is overwhelmed with mail this holiday season. The flood of mail is partially due to the historic boom in online holiday purchases amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Shipmatrix, the United States Postal Service is receiving about 6-million extra packages a day due to shipping caps at Fedex and UPS. The latest shipping data also shows about 3-million packages are being picked up daily, but not reaching their destinations on time.
USPS is blaming the delays on the number of packages, employee shortage, and capacity challenges with airlifts and trucking for moving the mail. Despite these and other hardships surrounding the health crisis, the postal service says it's committed to delivering the holidays.
Long lines and wait times are also expected at the post office. If possible, USPS is encouraging the public to use the self-service kiosk.
"You can punch in the address and it leaves your package in print you out a label and then you can dump it inside of the dropbox,” said Robert Rhoad, Customer Relations Coordinator with USPS. “Get the packages out as soon as possible. The faster we get them, the more likely we are to get them before Christmas.”
Even though online shopping is at an all-time high, shopping on the web can come with drawbacks. That includes not only delays, but porch pirates as well. According to researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1.7 million packages stolen or lost every day in the U.S. As you wait patiently for your mail, USPS is offering the following tips to help you protect your packages from thieves:
- Don’t leave delivered packages unattended. If possible, don’t leave delivered packages unattended for long periods of time.
- Take advantage of online tracking services offered by retailers; if the company says it was delivered but it’s not at the delivered address, report it.
- Consider monitoring the front door. If you have a home security camera system, make sure it captures activity at your front door and mailbox. If you catch any mail thieves in the act, save the video and alert your local Postal Inspectors. Video surveillance goes a long way in preventing crimes and catching bad guys.
- Customize the delivery. If you know the package is going to be larger than the mailbox, authorize the carrier to leave it in a specified out-of-sight location. You can also request pick-up at their facility.
- Secure the shipment. Signature confirmations ensure that the package ends up in the right hards. Register your most valuable packages so special care and documentation is used every step of the way. Ship your packages to where you are, not where you aren’t.
- Talk to employers. See if they'll agree to having packages delivered to the workplace instead of the home address.
- Watch for suspicious activity. Some thieves follow delivery trucks waiting for the opportune time to steal packages. If you notice something out of place in your neighborhood, report it to the proper authorities with specific details.
If someone steals your package, make sure you file a police report. It might be helpful if you choose to make a claim with the retailer, shipping company, or credit card company.