Due to Corona and Christmas, the publication is threatened with collapse

“That has never happened before”: Christmas is coming and the mail threatens to collapse

Currently, there are more packages on the way than ever. If Sunday sales are also canceled now, the system threatens to completely collapse.

sarah kunz / ch media

A bag of homemade Milanese for Grandma, a fun card for the bride, and a new nose clipper for Uncle. Because no big Christmas parties are allowed this year, just mail the gift.

But if you want your loved ones to receive their surprise on time, you must hurry. Because the post office can be late, and Uncle Otto may have to let his nose hair grow until New Year’s Eve.

Swiss Post recommends publishing A Mail before December 21 and B Mail before December 18 so that shipments reach the addressee by Christmas. “Anyone who has their gifts should send them immediately,” says a media spokesperson. So be on the safe side. Because at the post office you are scraping the limits of your ability.

Publication spokesperson: “We ask customers for tolerance”

Right now, Swiss Post can barely handle all the orders, thanks to increased resources and temporary employees. The vast majority of packages still arrive on time. “Only about 10 percent of programs are a day or two late,” says the spokesperson.

This can be annoying for the customer, as multiple posts on Twitter show. For example, a customer posted an A Mail package on December 3. Then the delivery date for December 8 was announced, a few days later than expected.

Swiss Post apologizes for the inconvenience. In this unusual situation, we also ask for tolerance from our customers, ”says the spokesperson.

Hygiene regulations and snowfall make work difficult

Over a million packages have been processed in days. “There were some of those highs last year,” says the media spokesperson. “But we have never passed the million mark every day.”

The main reason for the high volume is the corona pandemic. Digitization has greatly accelerated, more and more customers order online. In November, the Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday discount days increased the volume of packages, now it is Christmas.

The fact that there are occasional delays isn’t just due to volume. For example, hygiene measures make work in parcel centers even more difficult, and snowfalls are affecting delivery in many regions. Despite difficult circumstances, every effort is made to deliver shipments on time, work overtime, take extra tours, work until you drop. “Employee performance is huge,” says the spokesperson. “But we are running to the limit.”

The number of packages should not be much greater. But that’s exactly what it threatens: In the days leading up to Christmas Eve, experience shows that online ordering is skyrocketing again. In the next few days, the load limit could finally be reached, and with it, catastrophe.

Sunday sales can ease pressure from online retail

“If the post office can no longer process the packages, the dealers experience package jams,” says Patrick Kessler, president of the Swiss Trade Association. “That would end in a domino effect and eventually make the whole system collapse.” But the hands of the actors themselves are tied.

“The Post did what it could,” says Kessler. Now he appeals to common sense: “Consumers must show understanding for this difficult situation and not organize their Christmas gifts at the last minute.”

The upcoming sales on Sunday could also bring some relief to the online business. “It would be fatal if they were canceled,” says Kessler. Those who bought their gifts on one of these Sundays would switch to online stores, further increasing the order quantity. “Then, at the latest, the upper limit would be reached.”

The president of the trade association predicted in advance that the Post’s capacity would not be sufficient despite increased resources. Even before Corona, the parcel business grew dramatically. In 2010, the volume of packages was 108 million.

Last year, Swiss Post processed 40 million more packages. And this year the figure already exceeds 159 million at the end of November. “It can be annoying for retailers if they can’t deliver on their delivery promises,” says Kessler. “At the moment, there is nothing else I can do but point out the delays.”