IF YOU DON’T MAIL FIRST-CLASS FLATS, IT WAS A PRETTY GOOD WEEK
Just when we hoped it might be safe to go into the flats water again, they sunk like a stone, with just 61% delivered on time. Just for fun (we all have our own definitions of fun) I looked at the traffic report from last year at this time. My comments last year:
“All that said, for the week beginning April 18, 2022, First-Class letters were delivered on time 95.19% of the time. First-Class flats were delivered on time 94.04% of the time. These are within expected parameters.”
Expected parameters?! Sadly, those would be fantasy parameters for today. There is no doubt that First-Class service has deteriorated in the last year. Sadder, what we measure here is how well they do versus the standard they set for themselves, and lowered in October 2021 so they could make them. In case you’re wondering, by the pre-2021 standard lowering, in this week 76.73% of First-Class letters would have been on time, and 44.81% of First-Class flats.
Marketing Mail, bless its heart, continued to be consistent. Probably because less postal transportation is involved.
I hope the Postal Service is looking at the same numbers candidly on their side and trying to figure out how to fix it.
