As a cottage gear maker, I use first class mail for 95% of my shipments. Things are getting really crazy with the postal service. Only one of 18 packages I’ve mailed in the last 10 days has been scanned as received by USPS. I’m actually considering closing shop until the holidays are over. When packages have not been scanned, the tracking info makes it look like I have not sent them out. Northeast Ohio, where I am, is apparently one of the worst areas. See this from the front page of our newspaper today: https://plaindealer-oh.newsmemory.com/?publink=10e5850f6
Unfortunately, USPS is normally understaffed, but now also has additional staff out due to Covid, record holiday mail volumes, and overflow packages dumped from FedEX, UPS, and even Amazon. Packages are piling up all over the country and scanning of tracking numbers is often skipped. I’m seeing usual 3-5 day delivery times take up to 3-5 weeks in some cases. Terrible, terrible, terrible.
I know that complaining won't help me, but I feel better now.