There are many reasons for post office delays this year, from quarantined postal workers to working overtime for postal workers to fewer sorting machines.
However, an old local United States postal manager has a different theory: the sheer amount of stuff being shipped.
“Nobody has been through anything like this, so it’s hard to fathom that we’re going through this,” he said.
The manager, who contacted WRAL News anonymously, said the number of items shipped is 30% more than ever before.
Items that already arrived on December 4 have still not arrived at their destination. He believes that many gifts will not arrive at their destination on Christmas.
“Most anyone can take the post office for granted – and should be,” he said. “But I believe that was not the case for the first time in my career.”
The wait seems to be in every aspect of the USPS process. For example, the manager said incoming mail trucks from local post offices to sorting facilities have already been waiting six hours to be unloaded.
“To be honest, I don’t know if we’ll get it there over the holidays,” he said. “But we are absolutely trying.”
“And it hurts. Everyone in this company never wants to see this happen.”