'Not meeting my Christmas vibes:' Package delays leave residents frustrated
BATON ROUGE - As the countdown to Christmas continues, some residents are frustrated by packages delayed by weeks with no reason for the lateness.
Jessica Hebert said she ordered her son's Christmas gift three weeks ago. At last check, the package was in Memphis, Tennessee. But just days before, the package was in the city of Baton Rouge.
"I'm like what in the world? How did it get from Memphis to Baton Rouge then back to Memphis?" Hebert asked.
Hebert went to her local post office in Brusly and was told the Baton Rouge post office was rerouting packages due to technology problems.
"She told me that the Baton Rouge post office is down to some glitch or error and that's why everything is being bounced back," Hebert said. "Hopefully it comes in in time, but if it doesn't I guess he'll just have a late Christmas present when it does decide to come in."
The delays could be caused by lower numbers of seasonal staff. In an October press release, USPS shared the postal service was only hiring 7,500 seasonal staff as opposed to the 10,000 hired last year.
Hundreds of people commented on the WBRZ Facebook page, sharing their experience with package deliveries this holiday season.
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One of those people waiting for a delivery is Katie Jenkins. She ordered a gift from Walker to be delivered to her home in Zachary with two day shipping.
"I see that it made it to Little Rock, Arkansas. I think there had to be some kind of problem. It's coming from 45 minutes away from Walker to Zachary," Jenkins said.
Jenkins said she did not want to drive across the metro area, a decision she now regrets.
"There's definitely some frustration and I'm not feeling merry, not feeling merry and it's not meeting my Christmas vibes."
WBRZ called and emailed officials with USPS and also visited the Baton Rouge post office location on Florida St. and are waiting for answers regarding package delays.
On Saturday, Tiffany Rowland, the Strategic Communications Specialist of the Georgia and Florida U.S. Postal Service provided this statement:
The Postal Service strives to provide the best possible service, all year long and during the extremely busy holiday season. Increased mail and package volumes are being received, as with any holiday season, and are being processed. The Postal Service has decades of experience handling holiday volume, deploying robust and proven plans for managing mail processing, transportation, and delivery of mail and packages. We appreciate the patience of our valued customers during the ongoing effort to successfully deliver the holidays for them. Customers are reminded that, if they need assistance with mailing or shipping concerns, they have a variety of options for reaching us, including contacting a manager or supervisor at their local Post Office, calling 1-800-ASK-USPS(1-800-275-8777), or visiting our website at www.usps.com. Regarding postal staffing, we have added 7,500 seasonal employees to help our workforce with the expected increase in shipping volume during the holidays.