Shoppers flock to buy online, and that’s trouble for UPSBy Laura Stevens

Published: Dec 11, 2015 8:39 a.m. ET

 

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United Parcel Service Inc. is straining to handle a surge in online sales that has resulted in more holiday volume than it had expected, causing a wave of disruptions that could spell trouble for the holiday season.

On-time delivery rates for UPS UPS, -2.98%  ground packages based on their normal shipping transit times last week fell to 91%, according to an analysis of millions of packages by software developer ShipMatrix Inc. During the same week last year, the on-time rate was 97%, which is UPS’s usual average during nonpeak months. FedEx Corp.’s FDX, -2.85%  early numbers were also lower than usual at an estimated 95%.

UPS has been slammed with unexpectedly high volumes, extra pickups and not enough staff and equipment to handle all of the packages in some locations, according to people familiar with the matter.

“Volumes are coming in much higher than planned,” said John Haber, CEO of Spend Management Experts, who advises retailers on shipping matters. “You can only process so much volume so quickly.”

UPS this week assigned managers from corporate headquarters in Atlanta and elsewhere to work at delivery centers in Austin, Texas, Latham, N.Y., and other locations to handle the additional packages.

A UPS spokesman said that “UPS did experience some high impact areas” driven by volume in some places that came in at “levels greater than the original peak plan for those locations.” He added that it is typical that retailers may have more volume than they expected, and UPS sends management teams each year to those sites affected.

Online sales surged more than expected over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend and into last week. Consumers spent an estimated $4.45 billion online on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, with Black Friday sales rising 14% from a year ago, according to Adobe Systems Inc., which tracks purchases across 4,500 U.S. sites. It estimated that more than half of Black Friday shopping came from mobile devices.