With plenty of snow that barreled down on the Northeast, many delivery companies are announcing that normal package deliveries will be delayed in those areas.  Internet Retailer discussed a number of delivery updates were provided by big name companies to address the issue with their customers.  The US Postal Service posted on its web site “strong winds and near-blizzard conditions will continue to make travel and mail delivery nearly impossible.”  A number of plant operations were suspended yesterday, including New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

FedEx warned its customers on its site that there will be possible delays and service disruptions throughout the Northeast.  It stated, “A winter storm is causing hazardous conditions in the northeastern U.S. Our top priority is the safety and well-being of our team members, as well as providing the highest level of service to our customers. Although contingency plans are in place, some service delays and disruptions can be anticipated for inbound and outbound shipments…”.  The delivery company listed states being affected, such as New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and others.

It’s major competitor, UPS, cancelled deliveries and pick ups in six states due to the storm, including Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.  UPS also cancelled the service in parts of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.  More specifically, UPS stated about 4,200 zip codes are being affected by the service cancellations.

Delivery company services are directly affecting online retailers also, especially those that perform same-day delivery.  Online grocery retailer, FreshDirect, had to cancel Tuesday deliveries and says it will only have limited deliveries today.  A number of New England-based retailers have closed their offices due to the weather, such as Karmaloop, Rhode Island jewelry retailer Alex and Ani, Ross-Simons, and others.

Karmaloop is using the storm as a marketing opportunity, offering shoppers 25% off almost everything in the store using certain online promo codes that relate to the storm. Boston-based online shoe retailer Shoebuy.com is offering shoppers 25% off plus free shipping and returns using an online code.  This is an innovative way to essentially generate business sales after the storm to make up for business closures and delivery delays.

The Grommet, an online marketplace company based in Massachusetts, closed its’ offices.  “We anticipate a day or two delay caused by the overall disruption to freight carriers,” stated co-founder and CEO Jules Pieri in the article.  Pieri said its’ employees are working from home. The Grommet has a warehouse in Pennsylvania and does not expect too many weather-related delays from their own order fulfillment.  This attests to some online retailers may or may not have the functionality to navigate business and transportation needs with a storm such as this.  A same-day courier like 1-800 Courier may be a viable option for online retailers to turn to for package and box deliveries after the storm.

Big name e-retailers such as Google and Amazon may have to improvise to perform deliveries during the storm also.  Amazon announced last year its’ one-hour same-day delivery service and Google performs same-day delivery in New York as well.  1-800 Courier is a New Jersey courier that has a national footprint, and depending on the area, may be able to assist various companies with flexible delivery needs.  Call 1-800 Courier and see where the courier is operating for delivery assistance today!

Reference: 1.27.15, www.internetretailer.com, Matt Lindner, The Northeast storm causes package delivery delays; www.fedex.com