Package delivery companies have deadlines for Christmas deliveries

Erica Smith, The Decatur Daily, Ala.
·4 min read

Dec. 11—Delivery services say deadlines begin as soon as this week to get packages and mail delivered by Christmas Day, and they advise customers to expect longer waits in line and to double-check that packages are correctly addressed.

Debbie Jean Fetterly, a regional spokesperson for the United States Postal Service, said customers using ground service need to mail first-class packages and first-class mail, including greeting cards, by Saturday to arrive by Dec. 24.

Items shipped priority mail need to be sent by Dec. 19, Fetterly said. She said priority mail express does not have to be shipped until Dec. 23. The Postal Service's last day of delivery before Christmas Day will be Dec. 24.

Jason Santo, owner of The UPS Store in Athens, said packages shipped ground service needs to be sent by Dec. 19. He said packages can be shipped via air on Dec. 20 for three-day delivery, Dec. 21 for two-day, and Dec. 22 for next day. The last day UPS will deliver before Christmas is Dec. 24.

Chrystalline Lauryl is co-owner of Pak Mail in Athens, which is a packing and shipping store for USPS, UPS and FedEx. She said FedEx is asking customers shipping ground to ship by Wednesday. Three-day air items need to be shipped on Dec. 20, two-day air on Dec. 21, and overnight shipping on Dec. 22.

Fetterly suggested that customers using the post office go in the morning when lines are typically shorter. She said lines are longer around lunch time. Fetterly said many locations have a self-serve kiosk where with a debit or credit card you can do around 80% of the transactions you would do at the counter.

Fetterly said to check the destination address when sending mail and packages, but putting no zip code is better than the wrong one. She said customers should check cardboard boxes before sending them.

"If a customer chooses to reuse a box that maybe they received something in, ... make sure that the box is sturdy," Fetterly said. "If there's any extraneous writing on the brown, cardboard box, please obliterate it so it doesn't interfere with our machine's reading and sorting it to its correct destination."

Fetterly said to also pick a box that fits the size of the contents and avoid mailing small items in large boxes.

Suggestions for shipping

Santo said he has two pieces of advice for people mailing packages.

"Make sure you know where the recipient is living, and you manage your time wisely as far as mailing your packages ... if you want them to get there before Christmas," he said.

Lauryl said what she has been emphasizing is that, although it costs extra, it is a good idea to require a signature from the recipient.

"This is the season when thieves follow trucks around. If something gets left at the doorstep and a thief comes around and takes it, the carrier's not going to refund your shipping or pay out the value claim because they did deliver it," she said. "If you require a signature, then they can't just leave it."

Lauryl said if something breakable is being shipped, it needs to be packaged carefully.

"FedEx and UPS do not have a separate fragile handling option. Every package is handled the same and you need to pack it so it can survive a fall," she said. "Here at Pak Mail, we generally recommend 2 to 4 inches of padding depending on how fragile your item is."

Lauryl said to use bubble wrap, Styrofoam or peanuts as padding and not paper.

Santo said in the month of December, his store has about a 65% increase in packages.

"We're averaging about 220 customers a day in the month of December," he said. "Normally it's about 130."

Lauryl said Pak Mail has seen a surge lately, but they stay busy year-round.

"I think we had 150-something packages for UPS just on Monday this week ... but then (Tuesday) was quieter so we had closer to 60 or 70 packages for UPS," she said.

Mondays are busier, Lauryl said, because people have been waiting all weekend. She said busier times are lunch time and before parents pick up their kids from school. Lauryl said the holiday shipping season started earlier this year at her store.

"Usually, it starts right after Thanksgiving. This year was a little weird in that it started actually in the run-up to Thanksgiving," she said. "We had a surge a week or two before Thanksgiving."

USPS and UPS will both be closed Dec. 26 and Jan. 2. Pak Mail will be closed Dec. 24 through 26 and Dec. 31 through Jan. 2.

—erica.smith@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2460.