TEXAS — 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 United States 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 Postal Service begins planning for peak holiday season every January. 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. This includes making sure the right equipment is available to sort, process and deliver the expected mail and package volumes. They also have 644,000 employees dedicated to ensuring gifts and greetings are delivered in time for the holidays.
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 November 29 to locations with high package volumes. USPS already delivers packages on Sundays in most major cities. Mail carriers will also deliver packages for an additional fee on Christmas Day in select locations.
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 this week, with the week of December 14 to 21 predicted to be the busiest mailing, shipping and delivery week.
But consumers don’t have to leave home to prepare their packages. In these socially distant times, they can simply visit usps.com or use the Click-N-Ship feature for help shipping that holiday gift, ordering free Priority Mail boxes, printing shipping labels and purchasing postage before dropping it off at the post office.
The Postal Service recommends the following mailing and shipping deadlines for expected delivery by December 25 to domestic addresses:
- Dec. 15 — USPS Retail Ground service
- Dec. 18 — First-Class Mail service (including greeting cards)
- Dec. 18 — First-Class packages (up to 15.99 ounces)
- Dec. 19 — Priority Mail service
- Dec. 23 — Priority Mail Express service
Delivery dates are not a guarantee, unless otherwise noted, so all dates are for estimated delivery before December 25. Actual delivery date may vary depending on origin, destination, post office acceptance date and time and other conditions. Some restrictions apply. For Priority Mail Express shipments mailed December 22 through December 25, the money-back guarantee applies only if the shipment was not delivered or delivery was not attempted within two business days.
Because The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations, it relies on customers for their continued support and is committed to making sure gifts and cards are delivered on time to celebrate the holidays.
