Mail carrier speaks on the thousands of packages piling up at USPS facilities

Amidst the surge of online shopping this holiday season, thousands of packages are piling up in mailrooms across the region, with a depleting number of hands available to deliver them.

Zachary Steel is one of seven mail carriers at his Post Office branch, who spoke with us on the strain being felt by those in his field.

“We live in a society that buys everything online but we live in a society that buys everything online,” said Steel. “And we’re not ready for it; we don’t have the staff for it.”

At Steel’s branch, there are upwards of nine thousand packages towering within the mailroom. On an efficient day, one carrier can deliver 300 packages, while thousands more arrive at the post office the next day.

“It snowballs every day,” said Steel. “Like I said, we’ll have nine thousand packages in the office; maybe we’ll get two thousand out max in a day. Then, we’ll get another couple thousand coming in again and it’s just never ending.”

He says people track their packages after they’re purchased online; when they’re delivered and remain at the post office days past their expected delivery, customers grow impatient.

Many stand in line, hopeful to pick it up in-person. Though it’s very seldom that strategy succeeds.

“They may come to the post office and ask for their package but in all reality it’s like finding a needle in a haystack,” said Steel.

For a broader context, there are a sea of pallets at each post office, each one loaded up with 200 packages. With nine thousand packages sitting undelivered at his facility, a worker would have to sort through up to 45 different pallets to track down a single package.

“We can’t just dig out one package and help you out with that, unfortunately.”

His ten hour shift starts at 5:30 a.m., where he trudges through single digit temperatures and unpaved sidewalks. Though he’s quick to be understanding.

“You understand that not everybody can get out and shovel their walkway before they go to work,” he said.

It’s a grueling schedule that’s stayed consistent throughout Steel’s two-and-a-half year stint with the post office.

“I was doing 80 hour work weeks to 100 hour work weeks almost the last whole two years.”

This holiday season, he acknowledges packages may not arrive on time, but he’s asking for patience while they work around the clock.

“Just be patient with the post office, we’re going to get through this. Once Christmas gets done I think everything will start to get caught up.”

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