Just as online merchants know it’s never too early to get ready for the next holiday season, so do shipping carriers, and the USPS said this month it’s ready. It expects to receive about 40 million packages on its busiest days during the upcoming peak season, and it said it will be ready to handle 50 million packages a day.
“We have a capacity to ensure every part of our network remains fluid and on time,” said Isaac Cronkhite in a post on the USPS blog earlier this month. Cronkhite is the Chief Logistics and Processing Officer for the USPS.
He provided information about the steps the US Postal Service took last year to prepare:
“Last year, we added 49 processing annexes and 13 million square feet of storage space throughout the country. We leased 3,300 trailers to add ground transportation capacity and installed package sorters and other automated equipment with cutting-edge capabilities into our processing network. We stabilized our workforce by converting 63,000 pre-career employees into career employees and hired more than 40,000 seasonal employees.”
But the organization is not resting on its laurels. Cronkhite said while the USPS preformed well last year, there’s always room for improvement. “Our entire organization is engaged in planning for the holidays today. We are improving processes, developing contingency capabilities, and working with suppliers and customers to ensure the best possible service and performance. We are focused on driving performance and maintaining precision.”
And, he wrote, “just one year into our 10-year transformation, we are just getting started.”
While summer hasn’t even officially begun, the post was a reminder that the beginning of holiday shopping is not that far away.
HAHAHAHA preparing for what, they lost half their packages April 3rd, rate adjustment(increase) in July and seasonal rate increase probably in October. Dejoy is getting his way, USPS won’t make it the 10 years.
That’s hilarious…they lost my biz when they enacted the $16 surcharge on packages over 16”. FedEx got my biz now.
*** Last Holiday season was better ***
For parcel deliveries, last holiday season was my ‘best’ holiday season for my Etsy shop in over 5 years. Priority packages that typically took 5-6 days during the Holiday Season flew cross country in only 2 days. Even though I do not agree with the politics of DeJoy, I cannot complain about service provided by USPS.
As a jeweler on Etsy with price points of $250+, I’ve compensated postal increases by raising my prices and my customers haven’t flinched…they continue to spend. And now that more are vaccinated and lives are returning to normal, sales for Artisan jewelers are stronger. Latest data….40% of the wage earners make over $100K annually; are saving money and are the consumer that continues to spend during inflationary pressures.
The business model for USPS is for smaller packages. This isn’t a failure on the postal service, it’s how USPS can make money. USPS doesn’t have large facilities, nor do they have large trucks for larger parcels.
The reality…it’s all about the business model that Sellers choose. Selling large/heavy/odd shaped products for a cheap price and to a customer with no money is why so many e-commerce Sellers fail.