USPS offers shipping tips
Published 1:45 am Wednesday, December 5, 2018
Holiday mailing deadlines are fast approaching, and the Postal Service is ready to deliver. Between now and New Year’s Day, the Postal Service expects to deliver more than 900 million packages and nearly 15 billion pieces of mail – for a total of nearly 16 billion cheerful deliveries this holiday season.
Customers planning to mail cards and packages are encouraged to visit a local Post Office no later than the below dates for expected delivery by Dec. 25 to Air/Army Post Office/Fleet Post Office/ Diplomatic Post Office and domestic addresses for deliver before Dec. 25. Delivery is not guaranteed, unless otherwise noted.
Dec. 11
• APO/FPO/DPO (all ZIP Codes except 093) Priority Mail and First-Class Mail
Dec. 14
• USPS Retail Ground
Dec. 18
• APO/FPO/DPO (except ZIP Code 093) USPS Priority Mail Express
Dec. 20
• First-Class Mail (including greeting cards)
• First-Class packages (up to 15.99 ounces)
• Hawaii to mainland Priority Mail and First-Class Mail
• Priority Mail
• Alaska to mainland Priority Mail and First-Class Mail
Dec. 22
• Alaska to mainland Priority Mail Express • Hawaii to mainland Priority Mail Express • Priority Mail Express
Busiest Week
The notion of a “busiest day” is a thing of the past, thanks to the increase in early and online gift shopping. Customer mailing and shipping traffic is expected to increase beginning Dec. 10, and the Postal Service expects to deliver nearly 200 million packages per week during these two weeks. The week of Dec. 17-23 is predicted to be the busiest mailing, shipping and delivery week, when nearly three billion pieces of First-Class Mail, including greeting cards, will be processed and delivered.
Additional Tips
Informed Delivery is the Postal Service’s free daily digital preview of what’s coming to your mailbox. This holiday season, not only can you manage your packages and sneak a peek at cards headed your way, you can also see some exterior images of magazines and catalogs — all from your mobile app, dashboard, tablet or computer.