Mother’s Day 2020 is May 10, but it might be best to scoop up that gift ASAP.
With the coronavirus pandemic bringing most of regular life to a halt, consumers are bracing for shipping delays that could result in a delivery lag.
In March, Amazon Prime announced that some deliveries that usually arrive in two days would take as long as a month to ship out. The e-commerce giant also halted shipments of nonessential products to warehouses amid coronavirus-driven shortages before lifting the ban on April 13.
Amazon even made moves to try to get people to shop online less, canceling its traditional Mother’s Day and Father’s Day deals.
It isn’t just Amazon, either. Plenty of online retailers are struggling to keep up with demand and have plainly listed delays on their sites.
To ensure on-time delivery, floral retailer FTD, which also operates ProFlowers and ProPlants, recommends adding Mother’s Day gifts to the cart sooner rather than later — especially flowers.
“Flowers are always the best gift for mothers day to send flowers for Mother’s Day, and fresh flowers for mothers day are even more meaningful now when you can’t be together in person,” FTD CEO Charlie Cole tells The Post. “Our recommendation is to order early for Mother’s Day for the best selection. We also suggest that you surprise your mom by scheduling the delivery for earlier in the week, and then she can enjoy her fresh bouquet the entire weekend.”
Milk Bar also said the early bird gets the worm when it comes to Mother’s Day gifting, but the purveyor of sweet treats from chef Christina Tosi says it does ship dessert care packages frozen overnight to ensure freshness upon arrival.
“We haven’t noticed any major FedEx delays, but for Mother’s Day cakes online, to be safe, we’re recommending to order by Thursday, May 7, to arrive on Friday, May 8, ahead of Mother’s Day that Sunday. Just to give a good buffer in case of any delays,” a company rep tells The Post, highlighting its seasonal strawberry shortcake layer mothers day cake and doughnut-hole-like truffles.
Another favorite for gifting, Dylan’s Candy Bar says that to receive its goodies by May 10, orders should be placed by April 30. Or, if you’re using expedited shipping, orders should be placed by May 4.
If Mom spent nine months planning for you, it’s only fair you plan a little extra in advance for her. So here’s some information to ensure on-time delivery this year.
The United States Postal Service says its “goal continues to be to move packages as expeditiously as possible,” but some shipping times have changed. In an April 17 statement, the USPS said the Priority Mail Express service, which guarantees overnight service, will not change. “Service commitments for local 1-day Priority Mail will not change,” the site says. “Priority Mail’s two- and three-day service commitments now will be extended to three and four days, respectively.”
With the extension, the USPS says customers should expect Priority Mail Open and Distribute deliveries “to range from two to four days nationwide.” First-Class Package Service will also extend to three and four days from two and three days.
Parcel delivery
FedEx notes there’s been an increase in volume, and it’s working to ensure on-time delivery. “We’ve seen an increase in e-commerce orders and shipments — and we expect this to continue,” FedEx says in a statement on its site, noting it is “optimizing our services to best support this increased demand.”
The United Parcel Service, however, says it’s business as usual. “The majority of our services continue with the same expected delivery timeframes our customers have come to expect,” UPS writes in a statement. “While we have suspended our Service Guarantee in light of overall Coronavirus uncertainties, we remain committed to providing timely and reliable service.”
Amazon
Amazon has noted that each individual item includes estimated delivery dates listed before and after being added to carts.
“Delivery times may be longer than usual and our selection of items available for international shipping may be temporarily reduced,” a statement reads. “You can find updated delivery times on the product detail page for each item, and in checkout.”
Flowers
Most flower-delivery companies allow customers to choose delivery dates, but don’t wait until the last minute. Many, like ProFlowers, work with local florists, which handle arrangements and delivery.
UrbanStems says the cutoff for delivery is Friday at 2 p.m. on May 8 for May 9 delivery, and it offers next-day shipping to all areas including New York.
With many businesses shuttered or operating in a limited capacity during the coronavirus lockdown, sooner is better when it comes to placing orders.
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