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It is expected that more holiday gifts and greetings will be sent through the mail this year, as families and friends will hold virtual celebrations instead of opening gifts in person. The U.S. …
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It is expected that more holiday gifts and greetings will be sent through the mail this year, as families and friends will hold virtual celebrations instead of opening gifts in person. The U.S. Postal Service always encourages customers to send their holiday gifts and cards early and this year is no different.
“This has been an extraordinary year of unprecedented challenges given the COVID-19 pandemic and the Postal Service is expecting significant volume increases which are difficult to predict,” the service said in a release. “We thank our customers for their continued support, and we are committed to making sure gifts and cards are delivered on time to celebrate the holidays.”
To help handle the expected volume increase, the Postal Service has the ability to flex its network to meet the significant volume increases expected this year. Beyond making sure the right equipment is available to sort, process and deliver the expected mail and packages, the service also has 644,000 employees on board. Seasonal workers are hired when and where needed, and technology has been expanded to enhance package tracking throughout the USPS processing and transportation networks. Sunday delivery will be expanded beginning Nov. 29 to locations with high package volumes.
The busiest time of the season peaks two weeks before Christmas, when much of the last-minute shopping starts. Customer traffic is expected to increase beginning Dec. 7, with the week of Dec. 14-21 predicted to be the busiest mailing, shipping and delivery week.
Consumers don’t have to leave home to ship their packages, with www.usps.com always open.
The Postal Service recommends the following mailing and shipping deadlines for expected delivery by Dec. 25:
• Dec. 15 — USPS Retail Ground service
• Dec. 18 — First-Class Mail service (including greeting cards) and first-class packages (up to 15.99 ounces)
• Dec. 19 — Priority Mail service
• Dec. 23 — Priority Mail Express service
For more deadlines, such as for Alaska, Hawaii and military addresses, visit the Postal Service’s website.
