CHESAPEAKE, Va. — If you venture to the Mill Creek neighborhood of Chesapeake's Deep Creek community, you'll find that there's one thing people are talking about online right now.
“There’s a lot more chatter, talk, and conversation about mail delivery than the election. What does that tell you?" Chris Robbins told 13News Now from his home on Holly Ridge Drive.
Social media posts on Facebook and Nextdoor show Mill Creek residents -- as well as surrounding neighborhoods in Chesapeake's Deep Creek community -- are concerned about the delays in mail and package deliveries they're experiencing leading into the holiday season.
“The mail delay was initially a few hours late. But since then there were entire days where we didn’t get it, sometimes not until 8 p.m. or 9:30 p.m.," Robbins said.
One of the biggest issues, Robbins and others say, is notifications claiming packages had been delivered, but not actually seeing those deliveries until much later.
“People are saying they haven’t been delivered their packages but have notifications. We’re chatting, 'Have you gotten your mail? Have you seen it?'" Robbins said.
“People wondering, 'Hey, got a package said it was delivered but it’s not outside' or 'Got another message and it’s not out there,'" Devin Stanley said, who lives down the street from Robbins on Holly Ridge Drive.
Stanley also added that the conditions of one of his recent deliveries had arrived to his mailbox soaked in water, and questioned whether the package had been left out in the elements.
“I can kind of put myself in their shoes, there’s a lot of pressure, I can expect some delays here and there," Stanley said.
Another resident who lives in Strawberry Acres told 13News Now that he has been waiting for 10 days for a delivery that appears to have already come to the Deep Creek Post Office.
In a statement to 13News Now, Freda Sauter with the United States Postal Service said:
We have been preparing all year for the holiday season, our busiest time of the year, and are expanding deliveries to earlier in the morning and later in the evening to ensure customers receive mail at the earliest date possible.
As we do each year, the Postal Service reminds customers to send mail and packages early to avoid glitches. For additional holiday information and resources, including mailing deadlines and packaging tips, please visit the USPS holiday website.
Despite the inconvenience, neighbors did acknowledge the immense pressure postal workers are under this year more than others, with the COVID pandemic leading to increased online shopping.
“Called our mailman out one day and that poor guy, let me tell you: let's have our prayers for them and open our hearts because they are working really hard," Robbins said.