Concern from Anderson Co. residents over letters from Post Office

TOWNVILLE, S.C. (WSPA) – Secluded from the rest of Anderson County, and sitting just off Highway 24, is the town of Townville. It’s a historic community, but with little to no stores, especially retail.

That’s one of the reasons many residents said they have grown accustomed to shopping online. However the local post office expressed in a recent letter to their customers that the amount of packages has been overwhelming, and delivering them to residents’ doors might not happen in the future, especially for homes with long driveways or ones in which it is difficult to turn around.

However we reached out to USPS, who sent us a statement explaining the letter was a mistake.

The statement said:

“The letters issued by the Townville postmaster to customers regarding package delivery were sent in error. Customers should disregard any instructions or information contained in the letters. We apologize to all the customers who received the letter and for any inconvenience that it may have caused.”

The postmaster who signed the letter told us only USPS can discuss the remarks, and he did not have a comment.

Townville residents like Joyce Schlock can see where both customers and carriers could be frustrated.

“I’d say personally get to know the customer and let them come up with the best solution, if they can reach an agreement about where they would like their package left,” said Joyce Schlock, a former postal carrier for Townville USPS. “It does take extra time to get out and walk to where you want to put it but also the post carriers got to keep the packages safe and in good condition and make sure nothing happened to them after they paid for them.”

As a former Townville USPS carrier herself, Schlock said she feels it must be difficult for carriers while adapting to the growth of online shopping, especially after the pandemic.

“There are really two sides to it and it’s hard sometimes for the customers to understand but I totally understand what the postmaster and the carriers are going through because sometimes they have to go back and reload their vehicles,” said Schlock. “It’s full, packed full. They have to come back and reload it. It’s a hard job.”

Other customers tell us health problems prevent them from traveling to pick up packages or being able to shop in person. They rely on deliveries arriving at their door and said they hope a happy medium for everyone can come out of this.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS.