An Post has warned of potential delays this Christmas, with staff noting a 130 per cent increase in the number of parcels being sent this year.
Encouraging people to do their shopping/sending well in advance, An Post has noted a huge spike in demand in recent weeks. Coming into their busiest time of the year, postal workers are asking customers to have patience and expect delays in the run-up to December 25th.
Noting a 130 per cent increase in the number of deliveries in comparison to this time last year, level 5 restrictions have meant that more and more people are turning to online shopping as an alternative. Warning that there could be delays due to the volume of post being sent this year, people are being urged to try and account for this when sending Christmas gifts – and do it well in advance wherever possible.
Speaking to the Independent, a spokesperson for An Post commented:
“We’ve never seen mail volumes like this. It’s a combination of early Christmas shopping and a huge growth in online shopping prompted by the Covid lockdown.”
Just after opening its second automated parcel centre in Dublin, An Post is increasing capacity and preparing for the busy weeks to come. It’s hoped that retail outlets reopening again in December will help to ease some of the pressure.
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