Package delays the worst yet, say couriers

At least two local courier companies are appealing for patience from customers as they work to clear delayed package deliveries during the busy holiday season.

Antoinette Tucker, operations manager at SmartPost Limited, told The Gleaner that while delays are common at this time of year, this is the worst she has ever seen.

She attributes the backlog to heavy shopping during the Black Friday sales on November 28, combined with a large amount of relief items arriving in Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa.

“We saw a very high influx of packages being delivered to our warehouse to the point where our warehouse in Florida, the outside area, the door was inaccessible, the front lawn was filled with packages,” she said.

She also noted that airplane space had been prioritised for relief shipments, limiting the number of packages courier services could transport.

“Even our staff that has been working overtime to have those processed, when we got to the airports, we could not [get the packages] on the flight because of the space issue,” she said.

Another courier service operator, who requested anonymity, told The Gleaner that customers are also buying bulkier items in aid of relief efforts, thus limiting the amount of cargo the airplane is able to carry.

“What would have happened is that we would bring in probably light items, but now people bringing in generators and the plane go by weight. So the plane would usually come with a lot of items, but, because of the weight constraints, it keeps leaving back items, leaving back because of everything else that is coming,” he said.

“So, for example, they should carry 800 kilo[grams], normally 800 kilos is probably, say, 1,000 packages, now 800 kilos is only 200 packages because of the weight,” he explained further.

While he sympathises with the airline’s challenges, the operator, who runs five locations across the island, emphasised the need for better coordination in package logistics.

“I got something today that was delivered on Friday and what had been delivered from Monday hasn’t come,” he said.

Despite the delays, he remains cautiously optimistic that deliveries will be resolved today, allowing customers to enjoy their purchases in time for the Yuletide season.

Tucker, in the meantime, told The Gleaner that the majority of her customers have received their packages bearing Christmas gifts.

And, for those who have not yet received packages, she is asking for grace as the staff work today to clear any backlog.

“We really hope they can forgive us, and be a little bit understanding concerning the fact that our country is rebuilding, and that also impacted the movement of packages from the US into Jamaica,” she said.

sashana.small@gleanerjm.com