USPS set to deliver 15bn mail pieces over holiday season
The US Postal Service (USPS) has announced that it expects to deliver more than 15bn pieces of mail this holiday season. In the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, the Postal Service also expects to deliver 850m packages – up 10% on last year.
“The Postal Service is well prepared to meet our customers’ needs during the holiday season, especially as demand for package deliveries continues to grow,” said Megan J. Brennan, Postmaster General and CEO.
As part of the seasonal push, USPS will be expanding its Sunday delivery operations to locations with high package volumes from 26 November. USPS already delivers packages on Sundays in most major cities, and anticipates delivering more than 6m packages on Sundays this December. Mail carriers will also deliver packages on Christmas Day in select locations.
In a statement sent to Post&Parcel yesterday (25 October), USPS said: “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. Starting the week of Dec. 11, customer traffic is expected to increase, with the week of Dec. 18 – 24 predicted to be the busiest mailing, shipping, and delivery week. During this week, nearly 3bn pieces of First Class Mail, including greeting cards, will be processed and delivered. The Postal Service also expects to deliver nearly 200m packages per week during these two weeks.”
While there may not be a busiest day for shipping this year, USPS expects that 18 December will be its busiest day online with more than 7m customers predicted to visit usps.com for help shipping holiday gifts.
