Delays at getting mailed sample swatches

Recently I've had several customers contact me and said their swatches they request are not arriving in a timely manner, and its happening with several companies I represent. Typically I will always put in a sample request the same day I receive it, and it's usually mailed out US Postal Service within 48 hours at the manufacturer's facility. When I call down to check on when they were sent out, that answer is always the same - they were done same day of the request or next. This leads me to believe the problem is with the US Postal Service and its something I have no control over as a dealer, nor the manufactuers. Some of these sample packs are taking weeks to arrive, not days. This was a recent article in The Washington Post about slowdowns in the US mail service. An excerpt:

July 14, 2020 at 12:47 p.m. EDT

The new head of the U.S. Postal Service established major operational changes Monday that could slow down mail delivery, warning employees the agency would not survive unless it made “difficult” changes to cut costs. But critics say such a philosophical sea change would sacrifice operational efficiency and cede its competitive edge to UPS, FedEx and other private-sector rivals.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy told employees to leave mail behind at distribution centers if it delayed letter carriers from their routes, according to internal USPS documents obtained by The Washington Post and verified by the American Postal Workers Union

That may be what is happening. Samples are sent out free of charge of course, and through the US Mail. If you are critical on time, or just want to insure timely delivery, these can be ordered to ship Fed Ex or UPS either overnight or next day air. If that interests you, be prepared to pay for the cost of shipping and let me know when you request samples you are willing to pay the fees to ensure timely delivery. Most samples would fit into a Next Day or 2nd Day Envelope.