'Like somebody turned off a switch': Small businesses say USPS delays are hitting them hard..

[HipChick]

Joe Cortese says his company, NobleSpirit, relies on the U.S. Postal Service to ship thousands of packages containing stamps and collectibles each year. But starting in June, he and his wife, Polly, began noticing problems with shipments.

When we have something that has value, we are mindful of the progress it is making,” he says from his company's base in rural Pittsfield, New Hampshire. “Packages that would take two, three, or four days were literally taking three weeks, even four weeks.”

Cortese, 69, adds, “It was like somebody turned off a switch.”

Customers have contacted his company to ask about the progress of a package, and in some cases, asked for refunds. Sales have softened since the delivery delays began this summer, which Cortese suspects are due to weakening customer confidence that they’ll receive packages on time. The culprit, he believes, is change put in place at the Postal Service by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who stepped in the role in June.

Those changes, including limiting late deliveries and cracking down on overtime pay that resulted in delays in service across the country, have drawn scrutiny from lawmakers and customers, with particular concerns about how they affect mail-in ballots and prescription medication deliveries. But businesses like NobleSpirit say they’re also feeling the impact. And the complaints from angry customers are raising anxieties ahead of the busy holiday season.




https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/3461404001