Postal customers in Wyoming are facing growing frustration as packages and mail are taking much longer to reach their destinations, often traveling hundreds of extra miles in what seems like an inefficient, winding journey, Cowboy State Daily reports.
Customers are increasingly voicing their dissatisfaction after tracking their shipments online, leading to questions about the efficiency of the US Postal Service (USPS) and concerns about future mail delivery in rural areas.
One example is the experience of Gene Galitz from Pavillion, Wyoming. He ordered an item on November 30, 2024, and although the shipping label was created in Boise, Idaho, the package didn’t reach him until December 9, according to USPS tracking data. The journey was not straightforward. The package, which was sent from Boise, ended up in several cities across multiple states before it reached its final destination. It moved from Boise to Denver, then back to Denver, then to Casper, Baggs, Rawlins, Cheyenne, and even made a return trip to Casper before finally arriving in Riverton and then Pavillion.
Galitz’s experience has led him to express concern over the US Postal Service’s “Delivering for America” plan, which aims to streamline urban mail delivery but could negatively impact rural areas like Wyoming. Under this plan, the state’s major mail processing operations are set to move to larger cities like Denver and Billings, resulting in longer processing times and added transportation costs for mail that travels to more remote areas.
“This package was unique,” Galitz said.
He commented on the extensive detours his package took.
“But they usually do show up in Denver, leave Denver, and then show up in Denver again. It just seems ridiculous.”
Galitz isn’t alone in his frustration. Other customers, like Wanda Krimbrough, have experienced similarly erratic routing for their packages. Krimbrough tracked a package that traveled between Denver, Cheyenne, Grand Junction, Colorado, and back again. She questioned the practicality of such routes, noting the waste of time and resources, and raised concerns about how this might affect the future of the USPS, especially with discussions about privatizing the service.
USPS spokesman James Boxrud addressed the situation, stating that the six-day delivery standard wasn’t met for Galitz’s package, but he suggested the customer could have contacted USPS consumer affairs for assistance. Boxrud did not immediately provide further details about why these circuitous routes were occurring but mentioned he would reach out to consumer affairs for more information.
Ricci Roberts, president of the Cheyenne mail handling unit, said that the ongoing delays are a preview of potential issues once the “Delivering for America” plan is fully implemented in Wyoming in 2025. While privatization has been proposed by some, including incoming President-elect Donald Trump, Roberts argued that privatization would only exacerbate problems for rural communities, where delivering mail is often not profitable. She emphasized that the USPS is legally required to serve rural areas and that privatization could result in higher costs for delivery.
The USPS has also been increasingly using subcontracted services for parts of its delivery network, including highway contracts and non-postal delivery personnel in some areas, which has led to additional concerns about reliability and security.
