Post Office sees surge of last minute shipping ahead of Christmas holiday

SAN JOSE, Calif. - The lines at Bay Area post offices are predictable, given the time of year. After all, Saturday is the final day with guaranteed United States Postal Service delivery by Christmas.

"I feel that it’s part of the holiday season and that there’s been some things going on with the usps that certainly is gonna affect their productivity," said customer Monica Meza.

The other thing this holiday season adding to shipping delays, the two largest U.S. shipping companies are delivering COVID-19 vaccines. The result is a shipping surge, and longer lines for the USPS.

"I tried to come last night at 4 p.m. and there was, like, 40 people in line. So, I decided mid-day was going to be a better option," said one unidentified customer.

The service posted a notice of delivery impacts, saying it’s "experiencing unprecedented volume increases and limited employee availability."

"Now that we’re in the midst of the shipping season, we’re seeing that on top of what people are still ordering for their essential needs. So yeah, we’re being slammed," said Augie Ruiz, a USPS spokesman.

He said the postal service has hired 500 workers in the Bay Area, and is still in need of 500 more. The result has those that are on the job, working longer hours. Bumps in the night are likely postal letter carriers making their appointed rounds..

"I spoke with my mailman, he said he’s starting work at five-six o’clock in the morning, and not getting home until nine o’clock at night," said customer David Ridings.

Experts say there’s a paradox of higher unemployment, even though there are people who need jobs.

"Filling those positions with good people is often hard for them," said Dr. Robert Chapman Wood, a professor of strategic management at San Jose State University. "Undoubtedly some people are gonna be scared.. who exactly are they gonna be exposed to, as they go around delivering. And I think that adds to the difficulty of filling the positions."

Another problem – few people want to start a job in December, only to be out of work when the rush subsides in January. As a lure, postal officials say they’re looking to bring new hires on board for the long-term, not just the holiday season.