INDIANAPOLIS — If you plan to either ship something or buy online, deadlines are fast approaching to get your item delivered in time for Christmas. The link below will take you to the holiday shipping deadlines for FedEx, UPS, and USPS
Delays are being caused by the increase in packages due to the pandemic. It's impacting business owners and customers alike. Morgan Roddy, owner of Queer Chocolatier in Muncie, says she's in a tough spot. "Once you get the chocolate out of your shop, or whatever a small business is selling in terms of products, once it's out of their shop, there's nothing we can do as a small business other than make that customer happy and satisfied," Roddy said.
If something goes wrong with shipping, Roddy, like a lot of small business owners, has to eat that cost. She did that recently after a batch of orders went out. "One of them went to New Mexico, but it's not there. A woman reached out to me and said 'According to tracking, it's not here. Can I get a refund?'"
Because Roddy is shipping a perishable item, there is no time for extreme delays. "If it arrives late and it's melted or stale, that's not good. It looks like my product is bad," Roddy said.
Roddy hopes that customers, especially those of small businesses, are understanding and patient with them about shipping problems they can't control. "People are relying on a lot of online shopping and that just puts more stress and burden on the shipping systems and infrastructure," Roddy said.
