The holidays are often the busiest time of year for customer service and delivery workers. Those employed in the service industry frequently find themselves having to process orders, fulfill requests, deal with customers, and more—all while working under an incredible time crunch with limited staff.
However, while those in consumer-facing industries may have expected something similar this year, TikTok user and USPS worker Carolyn (@queencarolyn___) says that the current workload for people in her position is minor.
“‘Peak season’ ain’t peaking over here, baby,” she says in her video, which currently has over 104,000 views.
In the video, Carolyn explains that she and others are being taken off of the schedule as the workload does not meet the amount of people that they have on the calendar. This is a surprise, Carolyn says, because this time of year is usually thought of as one with a considerable amount of work.
“Christmas is over before it even began,” she laughs in the video.
In the comments section, users said that their workplaces have been similarly slow.
“Baby i work at Amazon this the slowest peak season I’ve ever seen,” wrote a user.
“My daughter work at fed ex and my brother work at ups. They sending everyone home,” claimed another.
“We had a layoff announcement yesterday too,” offered a third.
“Girll sameee,” echoed an additional TikToker. “Same job and everything sent me home [too].”
@queencarolyn___ What kind of Peak Season is this !!!!!!! Christmas looking real After Payish 😂😂 #blacktiktok #uspsproblems #usps #postalworker #citycarrierassistant #postofficepeakseason #mailcarrier ♬ original sound – Queen Carolyn
A few users offered potential explanations for this perceived slowdown in items being shipped.
“Baby we paying bills,” joked a commenter. “Ain’t no shopping but for groceries.”
“People these days are over the holidays!” exclaimed a second.
“People aren’t spending money,” summarized a further TikToker. “It’s hard out here.”
That said, it appears that Carolyn’s experience is not universal, as some users claimed that their workplaces are busier than ever.
“I wish I had your problem,” said a user. “I’ve been working 12’s since the middle of November (RCA in Suffolk Virginia).”
“My partner works in a wealthy area and they’re still peaking,” detailed another TikToker.
“Crazy because we getting swamped at the plant. OT is at 12 hours 6 days,” revealed a subsequent user.
The Daily Dot reached out to both USPS and Carolyn via email.