As the holiday rush comes to a head, it is essential to ensure that you are aware of the upcoming deadlines for shipping. If you want your packages to arrive on schedule, remember that the last day for overnight packages is December 23 and the last day for any ground shipping is December 17. This year will be busy, so don’t let these dates get lost.
Another holiday shipping detail to keep in mind is that 2-day and Next-Day services will require an extra fee for Saturday delivery. Since Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, this will be your last chance to make those last-minute deliveries. However, taking advantage of these options may cost a bit more.
Last year USPS accepted more than 13.2 billion mailpieces and packages during the holiday season. They were able to keep the average delivery time to less than three days which is impressive given the tremendous volume. This year retail sales are expected to increase by about 3.3% and reach $1.3 trillion. This year, it is more critical to remain on top of your packages, and the associated shipping deadlines since the increase in commerce could contribute to slower shipping times during the holidays.