Background
Each year, increased mail volume during the Postal Service’s peak mailing season — November through January — significantly strains its processing and distribution network. Beginning in October 2021, the Postal Service implemented a year-round strategy of increasing employee complement and facility space to help meet the needs of peak season. In FY 2022, the Postal Service successfully implemented initiatives from its FY 2022 peak mailing season preparedness plan and service performance increased between 10 and 20 percent for all mail classes over the FY 2021 peak mailing season.
What We Did
We evaluated the Postal Service’s preparedness for the FY 2023 peak mailing season. We found that the Postal Service has developed a plan to handle the large increase in package and mail volume that is expected to occur during its upcoming peak mailing season. However, one of the Postal Service’s initiatives is at risk of not being fully implemented before the upcoming peak season.