Holiday shipping
The Postal Service recommends the following mailing and shipping deadlines:
■ Nov. 6: APO/FPO/DPO USPS Retail Ground
■ Dec. 11: APO/FPO/DPO Priority Mail and First Class Mail
■ Dec. 14: USPS Retail Ground
■ Dec. 15: Hawaii to Mainland Priority Mail and First Class
■ Dec. 16: APO/FPO/DPO USPS Priority Mail Express; First Class Packages (up to 15.99 ounces)
■ Dec. 19: First Class Mail (including greeting cards)
■ Dec. 20: Priority Mail; Hawaii to Mainland Priority Mail Express; Alaska to Mainland Priority Mail and First Class
■ Dec. 21: Alaska to Mainland Priority Mail Express
■ Dec. 22: Priority Mail Express
Additional news and information, including all domestic, international and military mailing and shipping deadlines, can be found at the Postal Service Holiday Newsroom at usps.com/holidaynews.
The Postal Service will be expanding its Sunday delivery operations to locations with high package volumes beginning Nov. 26. The Postal Service already delivers packages on Sundays in most major cities, and anticipates delivering more than 6 million packages on Sundays this December. Mail carriers also will deliver packages on Christmas Day in select locations.
With an increase in early and online shopping for gifts, there is no longer a "busiest day" for holiday shipping. Instead, the Postal Service's busiest time is now two weeks before Christmas. Starting the week of Dec. 11, customer traffic is expected to increase, with the week of Dec. 18-24 predicted to be the busiest mailing, shipping and delivery week. During this week, nearly three billion pieces of First Class Mail, including greeting cards, will be processed and delivered. The Postal Service also expects to deliver nearly 200 million packages per week during these two weeks.
While there may not be a busiest day for shipping this year, the Postal Service anticipates that Dec. 18 will be the Postal Service's busiest day online with more than seven million customers predicted to visit usps.com for help shipping that special holiday gift. Customers can avoid holiday hassles by visiting usps.com, the Postal Service's website that helps make mailing and shipping easier than ever. Millions of customers will skip the trip to the Post Office altogether and take advantage of convenient online shipping this holiday season. Click-N-Ship and other online services allow customers to order free Priority Mail boxes, print shipping labels, purchase postage and even request free next-day Package Pickup from the mail carrier. In addition, usps.com is always open.
The Postal Service offers a new feature this year to help track and schedule package delivery. The Informed Delivery tool not only allows customers to see incoming mail and packages, it also allows them to reschedule delivery of packages to ensure they are home to receive them.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.