Christmas is a little over two months away and people are already starting to worry about how their gifts will arrive in the mail. Most people do not fully understand the complexity of the issue revolving around shipments and mail. Before doing research on the topic, I thought this was all one big issue; however, there are two main problems that only add to the headaches most Americans have regarding delays. The two issues revolve around shipping lanes and USPS. While these are two separate problems, coupled together it is infuriating that people’s packages will not arrive on time unless they order their gifts now.
First, there is a backlog at the ports with cargo ships.
“Container ships are crowding ports from New York to Los Angeles, where 250,000 containers are floating off the coast waiting to be unloaded,” Carter Evans said, a journalist for CBS News.
Not only are the docks full, but there are not enough customs agents to inspect the goods nor are there enough truck drivers to transport the goods. Rates and procedures have already been affected by the pandemic and we will continue to see these problems as long as we are still in the pandemic. People are only starting to notice the issues now, but these problems are not new by any means. Last March, there was a six-day blockage at the Suez Canal, which is a major shipping lane, and we are still feeling the effects of this event in October.
“The congested port has been a persistent off the California coast since at least May,” Isaac Larian said, the founder and CEO of toymaker MGA Entertainment. “It’s a really, really complex set of problems that has a chain effect, and I’m afraid that this will continue for a long time.”
Unfortunately, we may see these delays even after Christmas passes.
Secondly, there are issues with our own domestic mailing system in the states. USPS implemented new standards for first-class mail meaning it will take longer to receive these packages in the mail. According to KGW8, an affiliate of NBC News, “FedEx Ground continues to navigate operational challenges due to constrained labor markets, increased package volume and ongoing pandemic.” As previously mentioned, the pandemic has exacerbated these issues and as long as the pandemic is here to stay, so are the delays.
To make matters worse, the CEO of USPS, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, is completely incompetent. Attorney generals in 19 states along with Washington D.C. have filed complaints against DeJoy’s plan that “includes slower deliveries, more expensive mailing rates and reduced hours for post offices,” Jonathan Franklin said, an NPR journalist. There are numerous contributing factors to the crisis the country is facing when it comes to shipping and mailing delays. When I first heard about the crisis I thought it was all one issue, but as it turns out the problems are international and domestic.
No matter where the issue comes from, the American people are the ones who suffer. Never mind Christmas presents, Portland resident Anna Gorman recounts in an article for KGW8 how it took almost one month for her to receive a package of essential items for a medical condition. The situation is not good for anyone and unfortunately the problems are here to stay for now.
Photo from Flickr
