ATLANTA — If you're wondering where your holiday packages are, you may not be alone.
That's because a new study from an online retailer, Overnight Glasses, shows that Georgia ranks as the second-worst state for holiday delivery delays so far this year.
The study analyzed factors such as the volume of online searches related to delayed or lost packages, the performance of the United States Postal Service in each state, and the freight flow per capita, something that becomes of high importance during the holiday rush.
Georgia received the second-worst index rating at 50.18. The study shows that USPS performance in Georgia is at one of the lowest rates in the country at 63.7%. The state's freight flow is valued at roughly $841.7 million. Both of those factors combined mean that the Peach State is second most likely to experience package delays during the holiday season.
The study also revealed that Georgia had the highest number of Google searches for missing or delayed packages on the entire list. With its population being just more than 11 million, there have been approximately 1.1 million Google searches about packages that haven't shown up on the front door yet.
So, if you're waiting to order those Christmas gifts until the very last minute, you may want to press purchase now so you're not left empty-handed on Christmas.
"The high number of searches about delayed packages shows that no one wants to be the one without presents on Christmas morning," Overnight Glasses said of the study. "While new delivery technologies are great, we also need to support these areas better during the holiday rush. Simple ideas like adding more local pickup points or setting up temporary holiday shipping hubs could help ensure everyone gets their gifts on time. This shows that during the holidays, smaller regions can sometimes have bigger delivery challenges.”
Here is the full top 10 list, starting with the worst-ranked to expect packages to be delivered on time:
- North Dakota
- Georgia
- Illinois
- New York
- Texas
- Wyoming
- Washington
- Virginia
- Massachusetts
- South Carolina
