Monday is busiest day of the year at post office

St Augustine Postmaster, Kenneth M Goodleaf, informed local Historic City News reporters that Monday marks the busiest mailing day of the year for the Postal Service, with more than 640 million cards, letters, and packages, expected to be processed.

Last year, 607 million pieces of mail were processed on the busiest day, reflecting an increase due to growth in advertising and mail package volume.

“We are ready for the rush and ready to deliver,” Goodleaf said. “This isn’t just our busiest time of year — it’s our season. Customers can count on the Postal Service to deliver their holiday gifts in time for Christmas as we have for the past 239 years.”

Customers can skip the trip to the Post Office altogether and ship online using http://www.usps.com Using Click-N-Ship, customers can print shipping labels for postage. The popular Priority Mail Flat Rate Holiday Boxes virtually eliminate the need to weigh packages.

The Postal Service is delivering seven days a week in major cities and high volume areas — including Christmas Day.

Domestic “mail-by” dates for December 24th expected delivery:

15th Standard Post®
20th First-Class Mail® or Priority Mail®
23rd Priority Mail Express®

December 20th is the deadline to send greeting cards, packages, and letters, to ensure delivery in time for Christmas.

For the last-minute shoppers, December 23rd is the deadline for sending packages using Priority Mail Express.

Customers also may request free package pickup online. The Postal Service will pick up packages as part of regular mail delivery the next business day and, unlike with other shipping companies, there is no fee for this service.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.