Demand for parcels too high: PostNL capacity maxed out

PostNL has expanded its capacity in an attempt to meet the demand for holiday shipments, but alas, they can no longer keep up. The postal service is unable to collect all parcels from webshops.

Since the lockdown went into effect, closing all non-essential shops, increased pressure has been placed on parcel delivery services. “We have already scaled up to 1.7 million parcels per day, which is now really the maximum achievable,” Liesbeth Kaashoek, director of Parcels at PostNL tells NU.

“Compared to the beginning of this year, the capacity has increased by 90%,” says Kaashoek.

Hold your returns

PostNL is implementing some new measures to maximise efficiency while continuing to work safely and responsibly.

For one, the postal company is asking that customers hold onto their return packages until January 7. Kaashoek says PostNL is “in talks with the online stores about extending the period.”

At bol.com, for example, the return period has already been extended to 60 days. Kaashoek explains, “For everything we collect we also deliver.”

Mobile parcel points

Since the beginning of the lockdown, increased burden has been placed on parcel points, so PostNL is implementing mobile parcel points “to take the biggest pressure off there. Every little bit helps.”

“We have to relieve the pressure on the existing points and certainly those in supermarkets so that it does not become even busier there in the run-up to Christmas,” says Kaashoek.

As of Monday, PostNL has set up mobile parcel points at supermarkets and hardware stores at about 20 locations.

Kaashoek emphasises that although the company is operating under strain, “Our people deliver top performance.”

Are you sending or receiving more packages than usual this holiday season? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Feature Image: PostNL/Supplied

Brin Andrews
Brin Andrewshttp://brinandrews.com
Brin is an avid ice cream eater from the US, calling Amsterdam home since early 2019. As a lover of mountains, life below sea level has been a bit of an adjustment, but she manages to stay afloat with long runs, wine, and frequent travel. Incidentally, these are a few of her favourite topics to write about.

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