I want to start this article with the statement that I am the daughter of a 35 year USPS rural mail carrier. I appreciate the services the USPS has to offer and truly enjoy our local workers and their daily struggles to get us our mail! I fully understand the current USPS situation is not their fault, and their hands are often tied to procedures and protocols. That being said, I'm upset with the massive delays in USPS mail as it is affecting our members.
I have received several complaints from our members, rightly so, for receiving their newsletters weeks after the mailing dates, or even worse, not at all! Annual directories were mailed at the beginning of February, which to this date, I still haven't received my personal copy in the mail.
From what I understand of the situation, COVID has wreaked havoc on the postal system. Between the large number of sick workers required to take weeks off to the large influx of online shoppers getting their packages delivered via mail, the postal service is overrun.
Unfortunately, there is not anything we can do on our end. The USPS can legally hold our mailings for up to two weeks before processing them through their plants and getting them out to our members. The local branch does an excellent job of getting our mailings out to the distribution center in a timely fashion, so I am a little perplexed where along the line the mailings are getting stuck, but it obviously is affecting us.
If you or someone you know is not receiving their newsletters, please let me know. We try our darndest to ensure the newsletters are printed and mailed in a timely fashion, so our advertisers get the most bang for their buck and keep our members up to date with timely topics.
We do have another avenue for those seeking the newsletter on a more timely basis. We do provide a digital copy to our members in whom we have email addresses. If you'd like to get access to the digital copy, you'll need to sign up on our website to become a website member. There is no additional cost for this service; it is already part of your membership. If you need help signing up, please contact the office, and we'll walk you through it.
I apologize from the bottom of my heart for the untimeliness of the newsletter for some, and I sincerely hope that the USPS can speed to process up soon!
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