Although the State Post Bureau requires major express delivery companies to "not use the internet, not refuse, and not backlog" before the Spring Festival, the labor shortage may cause many express delivery outlets to launch the "Spring Festival mode" ahead of schedule. A recent investigation by reporters has found that due to a large number of couriers returning home before and after the Spring Festival, some branches have begun to consider "semi closing" operations and are expected to stop receiving emails around February 10th. Even for companies that maintain normal operations such as SF Express, the delivery speed before the Spring Festival will significantly slow down. And according to the usual practice in previous years, emails during the Spring Festival period may have a slight price adjustment.

Express delivery before the holiday should be sent out as soon as possible

The State Post Bureau issued notices to the postal management bureaus of various provinces (regions, cities) and major express delivery enterprises yesterday, requiring them to plan their production and operation before and after the Spring Festival in a timely manner to ensure that there is no significant fluctuation in business volume due to the "saddle effect". At the same time, enterprises are required to announce their service arrangements and supervision phone numbers during the Spring Festival period to the public through their official websites and business premises before January 30th.

Regarding this, the reporter contacted the headquarters of multiple express delivery companies. Officials from SF Express, Best Express, YTO Express, Shentong, Yunda and other companies have stated that they are open all year round and will continue to receive and send parcels during the Spring Festival period. However, when the reporter consulted some outlets in Guangzhou as a customer, two outlets said, "At present, there is no news stop, and they may receive a notice in early February." An e-commerce seller revealed to Nandu that the express delivery with her long-term cooperation has been notified, and on February 5, the express delivery in remote areas such as the three eastern provinces, Xizang, Xinjiang, and Inner Mongolia will be stopped; On February 6th, express shipments to Tianjin, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Chongqing, Henan and other places were suspended; On February 7th, express shipments to Beijing, Jiangxi, Hunan and other places will be suspended; On February 8th, express shipments to Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai and other places will be suspended, and on February 9th, only shipments to Guangdong Province will be made; On February 10th, the express delivery will no longer receive the goods.

It's not that we don't want to receive it, but after the 10th, it can't be delivered before the Chinese New Year. "A courier industry insider said that even if SF Express operates normally during the Spring Festival, its delivery speed will slow down. Moreover, a large number of couriers have to go home for the Chinese New Year. Currently, courier companies are still mainly based on franchise models, and the headquarters lack binding force on franchise companies. During the Spring Festival period, except for a few on duty branches, most branches will still be closed.

We have already issued a reminder notice to our customers regarding the situation of the courier company. Mr. Xu, the head of a photography equipment company in Guangzhou, said that if the customer chooses a courier company other than SF Express, it is best to place the order before February 5th, otherwise it will not be possible to ship to areas outside the Pearl River Delta before the New Year. Although express delivery companies do not close during the Spring Festival, many branches operate on a shift system due to a shortage of manpower. For example, a shift originally had 10 people, but during the Spring Festival, there may only be 3 people on duty. Even if the customer chooses SF Express, the deadline will be extended to February 10th.

According to the reporter's understanding, during the Spring Festival, the "semi closure" of peers has led to EMS and SF Express taking on the national express delivery operation, and has also caused the business volume of these two express delivery companies to experience explosive growth. According to insiders in the industry, EMS has launched peak response plans in multiple regions during last year's Spring Festival, and SF Express's express volume increased by as much as 70% at that time.

Spring Festival falls into the off-season