Duluth Post Office wait times surpass three hours
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An enormous crowd down at the Duluth post office on Michigan Street. 50-70 people at a time were waiting 3 hours and more trying to pick up their mail and packages.
Duluthians saying they’ve never seen anything like this before.
Ashley Madison was trying to pick up her kids’ Christmas presents. She says, “I got about 5 packages that were supposed to be delivered Wednesday and snowstorm hit. They were like ‘oh you have to pick them up now.’
She was just about to clock in to work too. “I had to like call my work and be like ‘I have no idea when I am going to be there but I will be there as soon as I can.’”
A lot of people were there after getting a message from USPS that their packages were not able to be delivered but were available for pick up.
50-70 people at a time were waiting 3 hours and more trying to pick up their mail and packages at the Duluth Post Office on W Michigan Street.
Joe Westerberg says, “Online it said it was attempted and my wife was home. It was not attempted, it just said please go to the post office to picked up.”
But even with all the people and the long wait time everyone seemed to be in it together, having spirits high. Clapping and cheering was happening every time someone got their packages handed to them. Trivia and games were happening in line too, even Christmas caroling.
Stacey Verhel was very supportive of the hardworking postal workers saying, “I appreciate everything that they do. I appreciate everybody at the post office. It’s just really hard. We need to get our stuff, so I don’t want them to take it personally because some are really out there busting their buts.”
Stacey was looking to pick up her mail. She says that hasn’t gotten it delivered in 10 days.
And even though the Michigan Street post office closed at 5:00pm, the line was still long with around 45 people. The postal workers stayed late and continued to find and deliver the packages to the people in line.
WDIO has yet to hear word from the USPS but some factors playing into the problems see today were the snowstorm and the shortage of workers reported on in the summer.
Before Ashley got her presents she said, “I just hope that everybody else keeps the spirits alive. I mean it’s not worth yelling at and it’s not the post office employees’ faults, so it is what it is. As long as we keep it happy and light it’s a good time.”