Mail delivery "sporadic at best," postal service says; UPS, FedEx down

By Kristi E. Swartz and Arielle Kass

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Remember that old saying about the U.S. Postal Service … “neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds”

OK, well, here’s the reality: You may or may not get your mail today.

Venturing out to your local post office likely won’t help, either.

“We have a limited number of offices open, and we are making delivery in some areas, but those areas are sporadic at best,” Michael Miles, USPS spokesman for the Atlanta area, told the AJC.

The postal service wasn't the only delivery service with problems. Around 11:45 a.m., Sandy Springs-based UPS announced they were suspending all pick-up and delivery service in metro Atlanta.

FedEx has also suspended service in metro Atlanta today, spokesman Jim McCluskey said.

McCluskey said the airports and roads have been affected by "a wintry punch" and the safety of FedEx employees is of the utmost importance.

"Ultimately, we will provide service when the conditions allow," he said.

McCluskey said FedEx will continue to evaluate the weather in the Atlanta market for the coming days.

Mail delivery may be stalled or not happen at all for two reasons: delivery trucks are having trouble getting into central mail processing plants to pick up letters and packages to begin with.

If the trucks are able to reach those locations, then the second challenge is actually getting into neighborhoods to drop off the mail, Miles said.

“We have mail for some offices and not for others,” he said. “Some are more difficult to get to than others. We are attempting to make deliveries wherever we can.”

The post offices that are open are likely because workers could get to them, he said. If the offices are closed, it’s because no employees were able to get through the sleet and snow-covered roads to open them, he said.

Miles said it’s unclear which offices are open, so call your local post office before going there.

The snow also has closed major Atlanta malls.

Both General Growth Properties and Simon Malls reported that their metro Atlanta properties are closed.

That includes Cumberland, North Point, Perimeter, Southlake, Town Center at Cobb, Northlake, Phipps Plaza, Lenox Square, Mall of Georgia and Discover Mills malls.

SunTrust; Bank of America; Wells Fargo; Bank of North Georgia and Delta Community Credit Union have closed their metro Atlanta branches on Monday because of the weather.

All of the Publix Super Markets in metro Atlanta are open Monday and plan to be open on Tuesday, spokeswoman Brenda Reid told the AJC.

The stores are stocked with "plenty of milk, eggs, water, bread, chicken and ground meats," which is what customers have been buying the most of over the last 48 hours, Reid said.

The stores plan to close at 4 p.m. Monday.

Four metro Atlanta Home Depot stores did not open because of the snow storm today. Some others delayed their openings and still more may close early. The Atlanta-based company recommends people call their store to ensure it is open before venturing out to shop.

Authorities are strongly urging motorists to stay off the roads. The pizza delivery workers may take exception, though.

A corporate spokesman for Domino’s Pizza said most or all of the stores in the southeast will likely be open by the evening, even though it’s up to the individual owner of the franchises to decide what’s best.

But in general, bad weather means the lights are on at most Domino’s stores, even if some decide to deliver only within a mile or so of their location.

“That’s just sort of what we do,” spokesman Tim McIntyre said.

Most of the CVS/pharmacy stores are open in metro Atlanta, a spokesman said. Some of the non-24-hour CVS stores may be closed – or closing early – based upon weather conditions and whether employees are available to work, spokesman Mike DeAngelis.

Rite Aid stores in metro Atlanta were in the same conditions, with most being open, with a few exceptions, a spokeswoman said.

For more information on which businesses are open or closed, please check back with ajc.com

Reporter J. Scott Trubey contributed to this article.