Can the U.S. Postal Service afford a one-day delay in deliveries this holiday season?

Meghan McCarty Carino Dec 5, 2018
HTML EMBED:
COPY
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Can the U.S. Postal Service afford a one-day delay in deliveries this holiday season?

Meghan McCarty Carino Dec 5, 2018
Scott Olson/Getty Images
HTML EMBED:
COPY

Wednesday is a national day of mourning for former President George H.W. Bush, who died last week at the age of 94. In his honor, the U.S. Postal Service has suspended most deliveries for the day right in the middle of the busy holiday shopping and shipping season. Consumers’ growing reliance on e-commerce and the 10 percent spike in delivery volumes during the holidays could mean even one day of limited deliveries could equal a lot of late packages during Christmas. Some analysts are optimistic, however, as USPS is still continuing their usual pickups, transport, and sorting. And they’re still delivering packages in big cities with normal Sunday delivery routes, so customers could still get their package on time today at the very least. 

Click the audio player above to hear the full story.

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.