A TERRIBLE WEEK FOR FIRST-CLASS MAIL
When service is really disrupted it can take a while to measure it because mail we would have expected to be delivered last week is still in the system. So, we think – we hope – that we are just now seeing the results of the terrible late January weather. It’s bad enough that only 72.5% of First-Class letters were delivered on time. Even worse is that 13% of First-Class letters were delivered more than 5 days late. Let that sink in for a second…one in eight First-Class letters were delivered more than five days late – and that five days excludes Sundays and holidays. So really it was about a week late – or worse.
Service was for the most part influenced by where the mail was entered. The upper Midwest, particularly Wisconsin and Michigan were just terrible. Clearly something broke in the system there. Beyond that, service was poor in most parts of the country. Marketing Mail was better than First-Class, but not great, either.
I suppose we’ll chalk this up to bad weather again, but that excuse is wearing thin. Let’s hope for better in the coming weeks.
