Customers angry, sad Postal Service couldn't get packages delivered by Christmas

Newton said her daughter mailed a box of gifts from California on Dec. 14, and it arrived at the Postal Service's network distribution center in Greensboro three days later. But it then sat in Greensboro for more than a week.

"I could have walked to Greensboro and back by then," Newton said Tuesday.

Newton said she also ordered T-shirts from Etsy that didn't arrive. The online retailer told her that it "was shipped on time in plenty of time to arrive for Christmas. USPS is so backed up right now, it's been a nightmare for us."

Newton filed a complaint with the Postal Service and visited her post office in Raleigh on Christmas Eve to speak with a supervisor about the problem.

"She just kept saying, 'It's COVID. It's COVID across the country,' and I said, 'That's just simply not true because it arrived in Greensboro on the 17th,'" she said.

Her boxes finally arrived on her doorstep on Dec. 26.

"I feel like the only reason the packages even arrived is because I had a complete meltdown over it," she said.

Tillman said she ordered Christmas stockings for her family on Etsy on Nov. 21 that still haven't arrived.

The seller mailed them on Dec. 11, and Tillman said she tracked the missing package, filed a complaint with the Postal Service and called the agency three times.

"It was definitely a bummer only because I've been – you know, we've all had a hard year," she said. "It was the one thing that I kind of was looking forward to having."

Tillman was notified Tuesday that her stockings were at the distribution center in Greensboro, one of 22 such facilities in the country, which appears to be key to the shipping gridlock.

Dozens of other people expressed similar frustrations with the Postal Service to WRAL News on Facebook.

Spokesman Philip Bogenberger said the Postal Service has done the best it could during a pandemic.

"The Postal Service delivered a record amount of packages this holiday season in the midst of the pandemic, which significantly impacted our workforce availability. Capacity challenges with airlifts and trucking for moving this historic volume of mail also led to temporary delays. These challenges were felt by shippers across the board," Bogenberger said in a statement. "We are accepting all volumes being presented to us, which adds to the challenge of the workload. We are proud of the hard work and dedication of our employees, and we will continue to work around the clock to deliver all packages and mail entered into our system, including returns. We thank our customers for their continued support and understanding."

Tillman said she, her husband and their dogs still had a festive house for Christmas without the stockings, and she expressed compassion for postal workers who have been taking the heat over shipping delays.

"Obviously I'm disappointed, but at the same time, I know they're overwhelmed," she said. "I told [the Postal Service customer service agent], 'I appreciate you, and I appreciate you being kind and understanding,' and she literally just stopped and said, 'You have no idea how hard it's been.'"

Newton isn't as understanding, saying she believes the Postal Service put more effort into delivering its more expensive express and priority mail packages while letting the ground shipping sit until the volume of packages subsided.

"I will not be using for shipping the Postal Service. I don't trust them," she said. "If you pay enough money, you can get it delivered, but if you're like normal people and you just plan ahead and ship it in a reasonable period of time and pay the least expensive shipping, then my experience is, unless you have a complete meltdown, your package won't get there, at least right now."