ATLANTA — With delays continuing at the USPS Palmetto Post Office, 11Alive looked to test the systems ourselves by sending out packages with Apple AirTags to track them to viewers in the area.
Our method
- Five boxes were filled, each one with a coffee mug and, of course, its Bluetooth tracker.
- Each box was addressed to a viewer in a different metro Atlanta zip code and was sent from five separate post office locations across the metro.
- They were all sent via USPS Priority mail, which is supposed to be delivered in two days.
- All five packages were mailed on Wednesday, March 27, before 1:00 p.m.
The journey through USPS
Package 1:
Origin: USPS Post Office, 35 Patterson Road, Lawrenceville, GA 30044
Destination: Fayetteville, GA 30215
Time sent: 9:20 a.m. on Wednesday, March 27
Delivered: 3 days late, Monday, April 1
Journey:
When we mailed out the package, the worker at the counter said the mail delays were getting better but that it might be delivered on Saturday instead of Friday.
Our Bluetooth tracker showed this package had the worst delay. It stayed at the Palmetto Regional Processing and Distribution Center four days before it pinged the address of a USPS Dispatch Facility in Fayette County on Sunday, March 31.
It stayed there overnight before the viewer we sent it to confirmed its delivery on Monday afternoon, April 1.
Package 2:
Origin: USPS Post Office outside the South DeKalb Mall, 2853 Candler Rd, Decatur, GA 30034
Destination: Marietta, GA 30067
Time sent: 10:12 a.m. on Wednesday, March 27
Delivered: On time
Journey:
The worker at the counter admitted there had been some delays and would not guarantee a two-day delivery on Friday, March 22.
The tracking number on the USPS receipt never shows the package went through the Palmetto Regional Processing and Distribution Center. Instead, it said it moved through an “Atlanta GA Distribution Center.” Still, our Bluetooth tracker showed this package arrived at the Palmetto location by Thursday and left the facility sometime Friday morning.
It pinged a location on Lower Roswell Road in Marietta around 11 a.m. The viewer we sent it to confirmed it arrived at the destination in Marietta by 8 p.m. Friday.
Package 3:
Origin: USPS Post Office 5050 Union St, Union City, GA 30291
Destination: Duluth, GA 30096
Time sent: 10:50 a.m. on Wednesday, March 27
Delivered: On time
Journey:
The worker at the counter said they were experiencing such bad delays that we’d be better off driving the package to Duluth. However, the Bluetooth tracker showed the package left Union City by 3 p.m. on Wednesday and arrived at the Palmetto facility by Thursday.
By 11:20 a.m. on Friday morning, the package was in Duluth, and delivery was confirmed that afternoon.
Package 4:
Origin: USPS Post Office 3000 Windy Hill Rd SE, Marietta, GA 30067
Destination: Conyers, GA 30094
Time sent: 11:50 a.m. on Wednesday, March 27
Delivered: 1 day late, Saturday, March 30
Journey:
The worker at the counter was unsure if the package would arrive in two days but said it would eventually. The Bluetooth tracker showed that this package went to the Palmetto processing facility and stayed there through Friday night, the date it was supposed to be delivered.
It pinged a location on SR-138 in Conyers around 7:30 a.m. Saturday morning and was delivered to its destination later that day.
Package 5:
Origin: USPS Post Office in Lindbergh neighborhood, 780 Morosgo Dr. NE, Atlanta, GA 30324
Destination: Atlanta, GA 30342
Time sent: 12:45 p.m. on Wednesday, March 27
Delivered: On-Time
Journey:
This package was intended to be sent from the post office on Pharr Road in Atlanta, but it was closed when we showed up at 12:20 p.m. to send it. The kiosk was still working, but no worker was at the counter, and the doors were locked.
A couple of miles down the road at the Lindbergh location, signs warning patrons about the mail delays were posted. Our Bluetooth tracker showed this package never went to the Palmetto processing center, the only one of the five that bypassed it. Instead, it showed a location on Fair Road in Atlanta on Thursday before it was out for delivery on Friday.
What we found
Three of the five packages sent on Wednesday arrived on time, including the ones sent to Atlanta, Marietta, and Duluth.
The package to Conyers was one day late, arriving on Saturday afternoon.
According to our Bluetooth tracker, the first package we sent bound for Fayetteville stayed at the Palmetto Processing Center for four days before being pinged at the local distribution facility in Fayette County.
The viewer we sent it to confirmed it was finally delivered Monday afternoon, three days late. The only package that did not go through the Palmetto facility was the one that stayed within the city of Atlanta.
If you are still tracking a package and the tracking number says it hasn’t left the local post office, a source told us it’s likely at the Palmetto Regional Processing & Distribution Center (RP&DC) and hasn’t been scanned in yet because all mail and packages left the local post offices at the end of each day. We also noticed this when comparing tracking numbers with our Bluetooth trackers.
11Alive News is hearing from customers who are experiencing issues submitting a ‘missing mail search request.’ We’re aware of these problems and requested more information from USPS on next steps.
Those experiencing delays or who have not received mail can contact the newsroom with your concerns as we continue to cover this story. Fill out our online form below, and someone from our news team will follow up with you.