Post Office Blames COVID for Even Slower Delivery of Some Mail
In an industry that's already been labeled as "snail mail" one would assume things couldn't slow down any more. However, that assumption would be wrong.
Npr.org reported back in October that the slowing of mail delivery was actually intentional and not an issue beyond their control.
The U.S. Postal Service began slowing deliveries of first-class mail nationwide on Oct. 1.
The article goes on to say that the Post Office did this as a means to save money. That said, it looks like some mail and package deliveries are slowing even more in the Shreveport and Bossier City area.
What's Causing Mail To Be Slowed Even More?
KTBS reported on this saying,
"The COVID-19 pandemic is causing some delays in the delivery of mail and packages in the Shreveport-Bossier City area."
KTBS points to a statement issued by the Post Office addressing the delayed mail issues that reflects:
We apologize for any inconvenience that may have been experienced by customers in the Shreveport area. Local management has been made aware and is taking steps to address the concerns.
Some deliveries have been made later than usual in some parts of the city. Our workforce, like others, is not immune to the human impacts of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. That, combined with increased mail volume, has kept some carriers out later than planned.
Are We Too Focused On The Negatives and Not Seeing The Positive?
What a lot of us fail to realize is that the Post Office is right. They certainly aren't immune to the increased complications that COVID and the pandemic have brought on the entire country. Their workers get sick too.
They slowed mail delivery back in October as a cost-saving measure. They simply couldn't continue with the pace of previous years without hemorrhaging money. Reports indicate the USPS lost over $9 billion in 2020 alone.
Yes, the cost of a stamp rose three cents on August 29, 2021 from 55 cents to 58 cents. So, that should have solved everything, right? Well, let's do the math on that increase.
In 1990, the price of a U.S. Postage stamp was 25 cents. 32 years later we've seen a grand total of a 132% increase.
In the same time period, a loaf of bread has increased 233%. A gallon of milk is up 121%. A gallon of gas is up 131%. And let's not even think of the incredible increases we've seen to the average concert ticket price. So, ultimately, the Post Office has essentially mirrored the country's inflation.
And, when you consider the statement the Post Office in Shreveport released, concerning the fact that workers were staying out later than normal to make their deliveries, we might want to applaud their efforts to hang in there and get the job done, instead of complaining that our mail was a couple hours late.