Thousands of UPS packages will arrive after Christmas
© Mark Lennihan/AP
For the Allan family in Clearwater, Fla., Chicago beef is an annual holiday tradition. The family orders Christmas dinner shipped in every year from the famed Portillo's Restaurant.
"It's a big deal," said Jan Allan. "It's something to us that's special for our family. It's not something we can get in Florida."
She was planning a dinner party for 20 friends and family. When the food didn't arrive by early Christmas Eve, she was worried.
"I became concerned and tried to check the tracking number," said Allan.
It turned out the Allans were among thousands of families that didn't get their Christmas package by Christmas.
For the first time this year, UPS took on more overnight packages than it could deliver. The company apologized to customers, blaming bad winter weather in the South and a surge in online shopping.
The apology didn't go far with people on social media, which exploded with complaints about UPS and FedEx from customers furious about empty spots under their trees.
Most complaints were directed at UPS, which issued statements on Christmas Eve and again on Christmas Day acknowledging that the company was overwhelmed by unexpected volume and some packages were delayed until after the holiday.
Comment: It would be normal in reporting such an incident that the avalanches were due to very heavy snowfall in the last few days, with some places receiving up to 1.5 meter of snow (5 feet). It is likely due to the fact that the Guardian has betted so heavily on the AGW horse that all information to the contrary is ignored. Here is the snow map for the last 3 days with numbers in centimeters: