Not just a USPS thing
NZ Post here in New Zealand is not much better .
Mail used to be sorted in PN ( an hour away ) now i think all being centralised in AK ( 6 hours away ) use to send parcels to south island and arrive in 24 hours now can take a week .
Then we have a courier company call Aramex .
This has happened more than once
HB courior ( north of me ) heads south and meets PN courior ( south 0f me )and meets at a layby on road side and swap parcels . Today parcel goes south tomorrow it goes north day after south again this carries on untill driver maybe i might just drop off at NZ Post rural depot .
Horse and cart be be a bit more reliable
Cheers
Dennis