A MIDWEST SLIP FOR FIRST-CLASS LETTERS
It was a rough week for First-Class letters, with only 71.5% delivered on time. Delays were very much concentrated in the upper Midwest. A large volume of letters entered in Carol Stream, IL, brought down the averages, with a letter entered there averaging more than six days to deliver. On the destination side, First-Class letters in Michigan were averaging more than six days to get to the delivery point. Take those states out of the calculations, it was an average week. Marketing Mail beat its YTD averages for letters and flats, and a small volume of First-Class flats were on time, more than 85% of the time.
We continue to see service issues in the upper Midwest, particularly on the induction side, which really brings down Central area averages. The other areas all looked very good.
