MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Some Memphians say they’ve gone as long as nine days without mail delivery as the U.S. Postal Service points to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Cooper-Young resident Cheryl Bledsoe says she’d been checking her mailbox every day since Saturday, but no mail was delivered until late Thursday afternoon.
“I kept waiting for the mail to be delivered because it was being sorted, because they were photographing it for the Informed Delivery, but it was not showing up,” Bledsoe said.
Mail hasn’t been showing up at other homes in Cooper-Young either.
One resident told us they haven’t had any mail delivered since last Tuesday, a delay of nine days.
Heidi Knochenhauer says Friday was the last time her mail was delivered before it finally arrived late Thursday.
“I want to know what’s happening, like, where’s my mail? Where’s my bills? ‘Cause they need to be paid ’cause I don’t want to pay a late fee,” she told WREG shortly before her mail was delivered six days late.
In a statement, USPS writes, “We are flexing our available resources to match the workload created by the impacts of the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and some other staffing issues.”
But Knochenhauer questions why the coronavirus pandemic is just now slowing down mail delivery.
“We’ve been fine since March, April, May, June, July. We’re in August now. We’re five-and-a-half months in. I saw them everyday,” she said.
Bledsoe says she expects better communication from USPS should there be future delays.
“If they’re not gonna be able to deliver the mail efficiently in an area because there’s carrier shortages or something, they should be able to let the people in the neighborhood know,” she said.
Over the last few weeks, people living in other cities have also reported mail delays.
If your mail is delayed, USPS asks you to call them at 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777).
