USPS package business beats festive records
The US Postal Service said its package business exceeded expectations over the holiday season with an 18% year-on-year growth in volumes. The Postal Service said it delivered more than 524m packages in the month of December, and the 28m delivered on its busiest day, 22nd December, set the record for the most packages delivered in a single day ever, when 463m pieces of mail were also delivered.
USPS said improved tracking and reliability was key to preparing for the surge in demand ahead of Christmas.
The Postal Service also lowered some of its prices back in September, courting e-commerce merchants while rivals UPS and FedEx announced price increases.
The bumper volumes were handled thanks to adjustments made to mail processing and delivery operations, which included seven-day-a-week delivery in late November and early December.
USPS said the five Sundays leading up to Christmas saw more than 20m packages delivered, with 118,000 packages delivered on Christmas Day itself.
Dedication
Patrick Donahoe, the US Postmaster General, said he was proud of the organisation’s festive achievements.
“The dedication and resolve of our employees is commendable,” Donahoe said. “They adapted and delivered heavier-than-ever volumes of packages. They worked extremely hard, many of them braving harsh weather. I’m honored by the commitment they demonstrated this holiday season.”
Package volumes are expected to remain high into January as consumers use the mail to return festive gifts, USPS said.
Private sector rivals UPS and FedEx were forced to cap parcel volumes from some retailers just ahead of Christmas this year, as sales growth pushed past agreed limits. The actions were taken to avoid the kind of troubles that saw both delivery giants hitting the headlines over delays within their parcel services.
