Heavy demand and bad storms delayed some holiday deliveries at FedEx, forcing the carrier to add extra staffing on Christmas Day.
"FedEx Express continues to run limited delivery operations in some markets to deliver shipments that could not be delivered before Christmas due to unforeseen volume and severe weather in some areas of the country," Jim Masilak, a spokesman for the company, based in Memphis, said via email.
Weather is frequently a problem around the holidays.
United Parcel Service missed Christmas delivery deadlines in 2013 after bad weather and unexpectedly large demand. Walmart and Amazon responded that year by giving gift cards to customers who did not get their packages in time.
The carriers' performance this year has been mixed.
The carriers are generally taking fewer days to deliver packages, according to StellaService, which measures online retail performance. FedEx averaged 2.9 days to deliver a package this holiday season, compared with 3.4 days in 2013 and 2.8 days last year, StellaService said.
But during a tough competition for holiday dollars this year, online retailers have offered ever later cutoff dates for Christmas deliveries, straining carriers.
In recent days, strong storms have hit FedEx's hub in Memphis. The storm system, across the South, has killed at least 14 people.
FedEx declined to say which markets were most affected by the delays. But the spokesman said that regional managers were given discretion to continue picking up and delivering packages on Friday "as long as they think they are being productive."
Frustrated customers vented their frustrations on Twitter, using the hashtag #FedExFail.
"Thanks for ruining Christmas!" wrote Rob Neil, whose Twitter profile identified him as a writer and performer based in New York.
Others were more sympathetic. "#fedexfail more like #parentsfail," wrote Chad DeLan Kirby, who identifies himself as a funeral director in Smithville, Tenn. "maybe order ur gifts a few weeks out. #fedex cannot do anything about weather. I'm in TN, it's been harsh."
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