Robbinsville – As pandemic-fueled strain on the U.S. Postal Service continues, many in the area and across the nation are reporting longer waits for packages shipped via USPS.
Robbinsville Postmaster Debbie Beasley said the issues were due to the volume of packages, which has been higher-than-normal through the COVID-19 pandemic, plus the large volume of Christmas gifts being ordered online had made for a substantial increase in volume.
The increases have pushed the post office to its limit, with some packages taking several weeks to receive their destination.
“The volume this year compared to last year is about three times more,” Beasley said.
“Last year, we were getting about 4,000-6,000 packages a week. This year, it more in the 6,500-7,500 range, and that’s just off of scans.”
She said the Robbinsville Post Office’s 16 staff members were working considerably more shifts than normal to ensure packages were delivered as promptly as possible.
“We are working on Sundays,” Beasley said. “Our daily hours have increased from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. We were coming in at 8 a.m. and going home at 4:30 or 5 o’clock.”
She also said she was using an additional carrier, due to the volume of deliveries.
“It’s taking up to two weeks,” Beasley said. “I’ve got one that’s been out for two weeks, and still hasn’t been delivered.”
She said the post office has seen increased volume since the beginning of the pandemic in March, but that it had increased even more with the Holidays.
“The COVID has kept a lot of people in, and not going out to shop,” Beasley said. “They ordered online.”
She said the volume was also causing issues up the chain, including at the mail facility in Greenville.
However, she said the facility was doing its best to send mail for western North Carolina to Asheville, where it could be passed along to its final destination.
“It’s just getting the things to us,” Beasley said.”The Greenville mail facility doesn’t have enough employees.”
However, she vouched for her own employees at the Robbinsville Post Office and for other postal workers in western North Carolina.
“I feel like we’re handling it very well,” Beasley said.
She encouraged anyone experiencing delays in their delivery to look up their package’s tracking number.
The tracking number can be found on a sales receipt, mailing receipt, online label record or below the package’s barcode. More information on delayed or lost packages can be found on the USPS website.
“If they can get it to our office, we’ll deliver it,” Beasley emphatically stated.