If Black Friday kicked off the holiday shopping season, the shipping season has begun in earnest.

“I’ve worked here about eight years, and the holidays are always a busy time,” Andalusia Postmaster Mike Kolmetz said. “Our slogan is that it’s ‘Our season,’ because we’re out delivering packages six days a week, we’ve seen so much package volume.”

For the local United States Postal Service, it’s advised to have all packages shipped by Dec. 14, for ground shipping.

“If you want your domestic packages to arrive in time for Christmas, you should send first class mail by Dec. 19, priority by Dec. 20, priority express by Dec. 22,” Mike Kolmetz said.

For military shipping, ship by Dec. 11 for all first class and priority. All priority express for military should be sent by Dec. 16.

“My advice for everyone is to ship earlier to guarantee arrival by Christmas,” he said.

For those choosing to ship via UPS or FedEx, Pack’N’Ship also urges customers to get in their packages before the holiday rush.

“My suggestion is to get your items shipped out as fast as possible, and pack it securely. A lot of deliverers don’t have time to handle every box with care. Make sure your packages are packed securely, or bring them here and we will pack them up well for you,” Sheila Caylor, co-owner of Pack’N’Ship said.

“Our company compares prices between all three carriers to get customers the best rate for ship,” Wayne Caylor, co-owner of Pack’N’Ship said.

For Pack’N’Ship, to ship to military, packages should be in no later than Dec. 1.

Domestic shipping goes as late as Dec. 18.

For overnight locations, Dec. 21st is the deadline to ship.

The third week of December is expected to be the busiest for both shipping businesses.