The Postal Service will deliver more than 28 million packages per day from Dec. 16-21, and the organization will average 20.5 million packages per day through the rest of the year, new projections show.
USPS anticipates it will deliver 800 million packages between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day — more than any other shipper, according to the estimates released Nov. 7.
“The Postal Service plans for peak holiday season all year,” the organization reported in its news release. “This includes making sure the right equipment is available to sort, process and deliver the expected mail and package volumes. Seasonal workers are hired when and where needed, and technology has been expanded to enhance package tracking throughout the USPS processing and transportation networks.”
USPS will expand Sunday deliveries to locations with high package volumes, beginning Nov. 24.
The Postal Service already delivers packages on Sundays in most major cities, and the organization anticipates delivering more than 8 million packages on Sundays in December. Mail carriers will also deliver packages for an additional fee on Christmas Day in select locations.
Customer traffic at Post Offices is expected to increase beginning Dec. 9, while the week of Dec. 16 is expected to be the busiest time for mailing, shipping and delivery.
Additionally, USPS predicts that almost 2.5 billion pieces of First-Class Mail, including greeting cards, will be processed and delivered the week of Dec. 16.
The Postal Service anticipates the busiest day online will be Dec. 16, when more than 8.5 million consumers are expected to visit usps.com, including 400,000 customers who will use the Click-N-Ship feature.
Almost 105 million consumers are predicted to visit usps.com between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.
The Postal Service also expects to process more than 15 million pounds of mail for overseas Department of Defense and Department of State recipients. Both agencies measure their mail volume in pounds, not pieces.