{"id":25096,"date":"2018-12-18T09:59:16","date_gmt":"2018-12-18T14:59:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/postalemployeenetwork.com\/news\/?p=25096"},"modified":"2018-12-18T09:59:16","modified_gmt":"2018-12-18T14:59:16","slug":"postal-service-prepares-for-its-busiest-week-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postalemployeenetwork.com\/news\/2018\/12\/18\/postal-service-prepares-for-its-busiest-week-of-the-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Postal Service prepares for its busiest week of the year"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Get Ready for Year\u2019s Busiest Mailing and Shipping Week<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Nearly 3 billion pieces of mail to be delivered this week<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"Get<\/figure>\n

WASHINGTON\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014 12\/17\/18 – Many consumers are in a sprint to the finish in terms of getting their holiday gifts and greetings in the mail. This week is expected to be the busiest week of the holiday mailing and shipping season for the Postal Service. The agency expects to process and deliver nearly 3 billion pieces of mail, which includes packages, this week alone. In the two weeks leading up to Christmas, Dec. 10-23, the Postal Service expects to deliver nearly 200 million packages each week.<\/p>\n

Overall, the Postal Service anticipates delivering nearly 15 billion total pieces of mail and more than 900 million packages between Thanksgiving and New Year\u2019s Day \u2014 for a total of nearly 16 billion joyful mail and package deliveries this holiday season.<\/p>\n

The Postal Service already delivers packages on Sundays in most major cities and, to handle the surge in holiday volume, the agency is expanding its Sunday delivery operations in select high package volume locations. USPS expects to deliver more than 8 million packages each Sunday in December. Mail carriers will also deliver Priority Mail Express packages on Christmas Day in\u00a0select<\/em><\/strong>locations.<\/p>\n

Wrap it Up and Put a Bow on it From Home<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s predicted that today will be the busiest day for\u00a0online<\/strong>\u00a0postal consumers. Nearly 400,000 customers will visit\u00a0usps.com<\/a><\/em>\u00a0for help shipping that special holiday gift. It\u2019s expected that nearly 5 million consumers will take advantage of convenient online services, like\u00a0Click-N-Ship<\/a><\/em>, to order free Priority Mail boxes, print shipping labels, purchase postage and request free next-day Package Pickup. And unlike many brick-and-mortar stores,\u00a0usps.com<\/a><\/em>\u00a0is always open.<\/p>\n

2018 Holiday Shipping Deadlines<\/strong>
\nThe Postal Service recommends using the following mailing and shipping deadlines*:<\/p>\n