Holiday Postal Woes - 2023 Edition

[jchcollins]

Was really hoping I wouldn't find myself in this boat yet again this year, but here we are on Christmas Eve eve, at 2:30 in the afternoon after today's mail run, and yet again I'm shaking my head.

I have one package (not a huge card, but a '63 high number) sitting at the hub up the road in Greensboro, NC for nearly 72 hours now. Original "expected by" date was Thursday, 12/21. The same thing with packages just sitting at this hub happened to me back around Thanksgiving with an SGC return, when after 72 hours I opened a case with the USPS online, and mysteriously the next day things got moving again. I get the holiday rush and understand if things are occasionally a day or two late around Christmas; but I guess what I don't understand, is how
my packages can zip through the hub in Philadelphia in like half an hour, but here in NC they are doomed to just sit for days? On another front, a lot of set commons coming to me in an eBay envelope from FL was marked "Out For Delivery" in Sarasota (wrong city, wrong state...) on 12/18, and then put back into "Origin Processing" in Tampa the next day. I care less about these, but purchased them in what I would have considered plenty enough time for holiday delivery. Needless to say, I haven’t seen them yet.

I also have several more expensive items currently going outbound, but at least those are well insured. I have been scared to check their progress often over the last few days, honestly.

Is this just what the USPS is good for anymore around the holidays? Should I pony up for FedEx or UPS next year if I expect anything different? Any similar experiences?

Happy Holidays everyone. Hope all your cardboard (and cardboard delivery) dreams / expectations come true!