Gearing Up for the Holidays

The U.S. Postal Service will deliver more than 15 billion pieces of mail this holiday season. Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, the Postal Service also expects to deliver 850 million packages, which is more than a 10 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

Busiest Mailing and Delivery Days

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. Beginning the week of December 11, customer traffic is expected to increase, with the week of December 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.

Skip the Trip and Ship Online

While there may not be a busiest day for shipping this year, the Postal Service anticipates that December 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. And usps.com is always open.

The Postal Service offers a new feature this year to help you track and schedule package delivery. Our Informed Delivery tool not only allows you to see your incoming mail and packages, it also allows you to reschedule delivery of your packages to ensure you’re able to be home to receive them.
 
The Postal Service recommends the following mailing and shipping deadlines:
 
Dec. 11    – APO/FPO/DPO Priority Mail & First-Class Mail
Dec. 14    – USPS Retail Ground
Dec. 15    – Hawaii to Mainland Priority Mail & First-Class Mail
Dec. 16    – APO/FPO/DPO USPS Priority Mail Express and Domestic 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 & First-Class Mail
Dec. 21    – Alaska to Mainland Priority Mail Express
Dec. 22    – Priority Mail Express