Post Office Gearing Up for Christmas Shipping

The saw its first significant spike in mail volume Monday as the local office gets ready to serve the many customers eager to get their gifts to friends and loved ones in the mail.

Postmaster Jim Boyer said it was mostly packages but there were letters and greeting cards in the mix as well.

Nationwide, the U.S. Postal Service is expecting to process 16.5 billion cards, letters and packages between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, according to a national press release.

Customers can access services both at local offices as well as online on usps.com, said Gary Reblin, vice president, Domestic Products.

This year, Reblin suggests considering using a Priority Mail Flat Rate box to get your gifts to their destination. "With Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes, you get a combination of value and convenience. One low rate to any state, with no calculating of postage or weighing necessary. If it fits, it ships."

If you do go online at usps.com/clicknship, you qualify for a discount on Priority Mail and Express Mail, he said. "And when a package is ready to be shipped, log on to usps.com/pickup to schedule free package pickup right from your home or office. Skip the trip and do all of your shipping online.”

Some more useful reminders as you're getting your packages ready, from the USPS:

Free Supplies and Services

• The Postal Service offers free Priority Mail and Express Mail boxes delivered right to a customer’s home or office, available by ordering at: usps.com/holiday.
• Free Variety Packs of Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes, also are available, containing 1 each of the Small Flat Rate Box, Medium Flat Rate Boxes 1 and 2, and the Large Flat Rate Box.
• Busy holiday shippers can skip a trip to the Post Office altogether, by scheduling package pickups online. The Postal Service will pick up packages at a time and place convenient for the customer, with schedule and pickup options available on usps.com

Shipping Basics

• Remove batteries from toys and other electronic devices. Wrap and place them next to the item in the mailing box. Customers should include the new batteries in the manufacturer’s packaging.
• Place a card inside the package that contains both the delivery and return addresses. This ensures the safe return of an item that could not be delivered should the mailing label become damaged or fall off.
• Include both “to” and “from” information on packages — and only on one side.
• Always use a return address, which tells the Postal Service where to return mail if it cannot be delivered.
• Select a box that is strong enough to protect the contents.
• Do not reuse mailing boxes as they can weaken in the shipping process.
• Leave space for cushioning inside.
• Stuff glass and fragile, hollow items, like vases, with newspaper or packing material to avoid damage.
• When mailing framed photographs, take the glass out of the frame and wrap it separately.
• For Parcel Post packages using a customer-supplied box, the weight cannot exceed 70 lbs. and the combined length and width measurement must be 130 inches or less. Make sure the width is measured around the largest point of the package.

Envelope and Package Addressing Guidelines

• Print the complete address clearly.
• A complete address includes:
  • The recipient’s name
  • Post Office Box or street number
  • Street name
  • Suffix (Ave., St., etc.)
  • Directional (N, S, E, W)
  • Secondary address (apartment or suite number)
  • City, state and 5-digit ZIP Code
  • Example: 123 S. Main St. Apt 4, Washington, DC 20001
• Never guess a ZIP Code. NO ZIP is better than a WRONG ZIP. Find the correct ZIP Code atusps.com “Look Up a ZIP Code” or by calling 800-ASK-USPS.

The Postal Service recommends the following mail-by dates to ensure gifts arrive on time:

Dec. 10 - Military mail for other overseas bases (mail destined for Afghanistan was requested by Dec. 3)
Dec. 15 - Parcel Post, the most economical shipping service 
Dec. 20 - First-Class Mail 
Dec. 21 - Priority Mail 
Dec. 22 - Express Mail

Due to security requirements, packages bearing postage stamps and weighing more than 13 ounces must be presented to an employee at the retail counter of a Post Office and cannot be dropped in blue collection boxes.

Find more holiday tips and information at usps.com/2011holidaynews.