UK Royal Mail workers braced for bumper postbag
Royal Mail has been gearing up for its busiest day of the year, with an expected bumper postbag of 135 million cards and letters.
Many people were catching up on their Christmas card list over the weekend and were set to put them in the post from the 15th Dec.
The usual daily postbag of 82 million items will increase in the run-up to the last posting day for first class mail on Saturday 20th Dec.
An estimated 2.1 billion cards and letters will be posted in the four weeks to Christmas, around the same as last year.
Online shopping is expected to break all records this year, with Internet consumers spending £3.5 billion on gifts.
The Royal Mail said it expected to deliver 40 million of the 70 million goods ordered online, double the number it handled last year.
An estimated 700 million Christmas cards will be sent this year, with traditional scenes still the most popular.
The Royal Mail has printed 200 million first class Christmas stamps and has hired 12,500 extra workers to help deliver the post on time.
An additional 3,200 vehicles have also been hired to boost the Royal Mail’s usual fleet of 28,000.
New research showed that firms which send Christmas cards to their contacts and customers can increase sales by around 25%.
Royal Mail chief executive Adam Crozier told PA News: “Sending Christmas cards and gifts is as popular as ever and that’s good news for Royal Mail.
“Our people are working round the clock to get all the mail sorted and delivered.”
:: Last posting dates are December 20 for first class, December 18 for second class and December 23 for special delivery, guaranteeing delivery on Christmas Eve.
