Former Bemidji Post Office worker says carriers bogged down daily with hundreds of Amazon packages
BEMIDJI, Minn. — The Christmas countdown is on, and holiday shopping and shipping are in full swing.
However, some northern Minnesota residents have seen mail issues.
Dennis Nelson worked at the Bemidji Post Office for about 21 years before quitting last week.
He says a normal holiday route used to be about 150 packages a day. This year, however, the Bemidji office is making Amazon deliveries, and Nelson says that means about 400-500 packages a day — per carrier.
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Nelson says that is slowing down the delivery of regular mail.
"We were told that no matter how long you have to work, Amazon packages have to go out every single day," Nelson said. "That also meant curtailing the mail to get the Amazon packages out."
The United States Postal Service gave this statement to WCCO:
The Postal Service does not prioritize the delivery of packages from Amazon or other customers. The Postal Service's Delivering for America plan intends to accomplish the efficient delivery of First-Class Mail supported by the increased delivery of packages through an improved network.
USPS is built for the holidays with affordable, reliable shipping services to help its customers send more joy this season. This is our busiest most important time of year, and we are using every available resource to provide consistent, reliable service. Extra measures are in place in Bemidji through peak season and mail delivery is current with all mailpieces and packages being delivered daily. The Postal Service is proud of the hard work of our employees, every year, to deliver the holidays to our customers.
Amazon spokesperson Sam Stephenson gave this statement to WCCO:
We routinely work with the US Postal Service to deliver for customers and we apologize for any delays experienced in and around Bemidji. We work closely with USPS to refine volume forecasts so they can operate smoothly, and we'll continue to do so as we work through the holiday season.
