tom_simpson

Last-minute shoppers are expected to go online to make their holiday purchases during the next few days, which means shippers should expect a surge in late-season package deliveries. Holiday shoppers inevitably procrastinate, Lauren Freedman, a senior vice president at digital research agency Astound Commerce, told The Wall Street Journal last week. “At the end of […]

Read More… from Rush week

NBC’s “Today” showcased the Postal Service’s Operation Santa program in a segment that aired last week. The 5-minute report shows co-host Hoda Kotb and a group of New York City children gathering at the James A. Farley Post Office to review Operation Santa letters. Through the program, USPS employees, customers and others help people in […]

Read More… from Santa’s little helpers

Two-year-old Kaydence Weaver is ready to count to 500 — the number of Christmas cards she hopes to receive this year. The Noblesville, IN, toddler was diagnosed in July with a cancer that affects her soft tissue and is undergoing medical treatments, the TV newsmagazine “Inside Edition” reported recently. To make Kaydence feel better, her […]

Read More… from Wish list

The holidays are the most wonderful time of the year — especially for cyber criminals. Hackers prey on consumers who fail to protect their personal information or report cyber threats. When you shop this holiday season, the CyberSafe at USPS team recommends you follow these guidelines: Use trusted vendors and make sure you use legitimate […]

Read More… from Safe shopping

Darla White was just doing her job when she recently saved a customer’s holiday trip. While cleaning the Post Office, the Venice, FL, custodian noticed a wallet near a self-service kiosk. It contained $600 in cash, credit cards and a photo ID. White alerted Postmaster Kevin Sullivan, who used information on the photo ID to […]

Read More… from Nick of time

The Postal Service is kicking into overdrive as the pace of peak season continues to pick up. “We have tremendous momentum going into next week, which is shaping up to be the busiest of the year,” Chief Operating Officer Dave Williams said. “We know our customers are counting on us, and we’re going to deliver […]

Read More… from ‘Tremendous momentum’

The Postal Service’s main retail site, usps.com, is expected to receive 7 million visitors Dec. 19, which is projected to be the year’s busiest mailing day. On an average day, nearly 4.7 million customers visit usps.com, which generated more than $1 billion in sales from more than 54 million transactions during the fiscal year that […]

Read More… from Always open

A new video shows how customers can use the Postal Service’s augmented reality (AR) app during the holidays. The 1-minute video explains that customers who send a gift inside a Priority Mail box can use the app to send a personalized multimedia greeting to the recipient. Customers can choose one of several gift alert messages […]

Read More… from Something special

Last year, hackers exposed U.S. government databases in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), compromising the information of at least 22.1 million people. Recently, hackers began to capitalize on their success at OPM by sending phishing emails to millions of recipients. In this recent attack, the hackers sent an email from a user masquerading as […]

Read More… from Phishing attempts

USPS has adjusted the postage refund policy for Priority Mail Express one-day shipments sent during the Dec. 22-25 holiday period. Under the adjusted policy, Priority Mail Express one-day shipments sent during this period are not eligible for postage refunds unless the package is not delivered or delivery is not attempted within two days of the […]

Read More… from Priority Mail Express

The Postal Service’s national scanning rating was 97.4 percent during the week ending Dec. 9, up from the previous week. Forty districts and two areas met or exceeded the national average. Dakotas (98.73 percent) finished first among the districts for the 12th consecutive week, while Western (97.83 percent) continued to lead the areas. Scanning allows customers […]

Read More… from Scanning scorecard

NBC’s “Today” will shine a spotlight on Operation Santa this week. The daily news show is slated to air a segment on the Postal Service holiday program Friday, Dec. 16, sometime between 10-11 a.m. Hoda Kotb, a “Today” co-host, taped the segment last week at the James A. Farley Post Office in New York City. […]

Read More… from Spotlight on Santa

The Postal Service is offering a free app for smartphones that aims to build excitement among customers who send and receive Priority Mail boxes during the holidays. Customers who send a gift inside a Priority Mail box can use the app to send a personalized multimedia greeting to the recipient. The messages let the recipient […]

Read More… from Special touch

There’s still time to “Show Some Love” during this year’s Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), although the clock is ticking. The CFC, the world’s largest charity drive, allows federal employees to contribute to more than 18,000 organizations. This year’s campaign ends Dec. 15. Postal Service employees who support the CFC are encouraging their co-workers to support […]

Read More… from Big finish

The Postal Service and the PopSugar lifestyle site have joined forces to show readers how to use the mail to deliver cheer this holiday season. The PopSugar 2016 Holiday Cards site features articles on seasonal letter writing, greeting card etiquette rules and using technology to send cards. Other topics include how to teach your kids […]

Read More… from Good cheer

John Glenn — the pioneering astronaut, political leader and war hero who died Dec. 8 — is also part of Postal Service history. A 4-cent Project Mercury stamp was issued in 1962 to commemorate Glenn’s most famous space flight, when he became the first American to orbit the Earth. In 2004, not long after Glenn […]

Read More… from The right stuff