A shared concern for LEX 18 viewers over the past month has been continued mail delivery delays. In the last week, LEX 18 has heard from and interviewed frustrated businesses and customers of the United States Postal Service, hoping their questions will be answered.On Thursday, USPS released this statement in regard to delivery delays taking place in Louisville, Lexington, and across the Commonwealth. <i>We are aware of recent service delays in the Louisville area and want to provide an update on the situation. Back-to-back severe weather events have significantly impacted our operations both locally in Kentucky and across our network. These weather-related challenges, coupled with an increase in employee availability issues following the storms, have contributed to temporary mail and package delivery delays in the region. Senior leaders are actively working with local teams to address the situation and restore the level of service our customers are accustomed to. We are committed to resuming normal operations as quickly and safely as possible. Customers are encouraged to visit our Service Alerts page at Service alerts - Newsroom - About.usps.com [about.usps.com] for up-to-date information on service impacts related to weather events.</i>Local shipping and postal center Box Stop has two locations in Lexington. Lansdowne store manager Michael Bevins thinks a busier than normal December contributed to the backlog.Basically from Black Friday on is pretty well a blur in the shipping world, Bevins explained. Every year, everybodys like, oh, Im sure its great to be out of Christmas, but it really doesnt end there. We have to work all through January dealing with stuff like this. We have to deal with all of peoples returns. Not that we mind, its just, the work never stops. We kind of expected it. Just maybe not to this severity.A deeper look shows this is not a uniquely Kentucky issue. Over the past three weeks, stories of prolonged delivery delays have popped up across the country, from Georgia to Montana.Usually, price is kind of a big deterrent, Bevins said. It is expensive to ship in general, and UPS and FedEx are usually a little bit more expensive than the post office. I think that kind of probably honestly if Im honest led to the influx of all those packages. People just couldnt beat the price of shipping it through the post office.Bevins also worries tax season will only add to the postal issues.From February on through April, theyre just going to get bombarded, explained Bevins, because most of the places theyre shipping, either that be like the state treasury department or the IRS directly, most of those places have P.O. boxes, and you have to ship it with the post office, so I expect it to not slow down for them.LEX 18 also reached out to Congressman Andy Barr for a statement. He responded saying: <i>I am aware of the ongoing mail delivery delays at the Nandino USPS facility in Lexington and share my constituents frustrations. After receiving numerous complaints from individuals, small businesses, and those awaiting critical medications, I immediately contacted USPS for answers. They have provided an update on their plan to resolve these weather-related delays and restore reliable service. My office will continue to monitor their efforts closely and stay in touch with affected constituents. Under the previous administration, federal agencies like USPS were not held accountable to the American people. That is changing under President Trump, and I remain committed to ensuring USPS operates efficiently and effectively. As a cosponsor of the Pony Up Act, I am working to increase transparency and improve USPS reliability. This legislation holds USPS accountable and ensures small businesses, patients, and families receive the dependable service they rely on. I will continue working with USPS leadership to address operational failures and ensure Kentuckians get the mail service they deserve.</i>Its like nothing to them to lose a customer, Bevins added. To us, we lose one customer and that really hurts. Weve had a lot of people accuse us of not delivering their packages or not taking them to the post office, because, in my opinion, the post office is mishandling the situation its in.As far as steps people can take if a package is delayed, Bevins listed the options of filing a claim with the post office, visiting the website, or even visiting the post office in person if possible. After that, theres only one thing left to do.Unfortunately, though, my biggest, I guess my blanket statement to everyone is just wait, Bevins said. I know that isnt what everybody likes to hear, but just wait, and it will eventually show up. It may take longer than you expect.