Thursday, September 19

Why package delivery is about to get slower in the US

A partir del próximo 1 de mayo los paquetes de primera clase, como paquetes ligeros y pequeños se entregarán con más retraso.
As of May 1, first-class packages, such as light and small packages, will be delivered with more delay.

Photo: Brett Carlsen / Getty Images

Julio Guzmán

First there were the cards. Now some packages will take longer to reach the doors of your home . The reason is simple. The new standards of the United States Postal Service (USPS) that will come into force effective from next month.

Previously, a first-class package was considered delayed when it was delivered more than three days after being send. Under the new policies, first-class packages will be considered delivered on time if they arrive within four or five days. This applies to more than 30% of packages in this category.

Starting next May 1 first class packages, such as packages light and small will see these changes applied. For example, the delivery standard for more than 30% of these packages , which may include prescription drugs, is for two to three days, and for the rest of three days.

In addition to this, packages that have to travel long distances to reach their recipient will see delays

, although the USPS says that the new measures will not impact 64% of the shipment of first class. The service says that 4% of packages will arrive faster, within two days, instead of three.

“The postal service continually seeks ways to improve performance and provide customers with a consistent, cost-effective and reliable service,” said Kim Frum, USPS spokesman, to NPR.

The measures are part of the strategy of the cost-cutting postal service to rely more on its ground transportation network, which operates at 54% of its capacity. USPS seeks to be more efficient while saving money and providing more reliable service that is not affected by changing conditions and air freight costs.

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