Have You Mailed Your Holiday Packages Yet? Tips You Should Know

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) may be tightening its operational belt, but it says it still expects to deliver 16.5 billion cards, letters and packages between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.

Laura Dvorak, communications programs specialist for USPS Northern Virginia District, including Fairfax Station, tells Patch the postal service will process nearly two million cards and letters on Dec. 19 alone and a total of 24 million cards and letters in all between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. And that's just in her district.

"The earlier customers mail, the sooner their messages will be delivered for friends and relatives to enjoy," said Dvorak.

To make sure those gifts get to their destinations on time (by Saturday, Christmas Eve, Dec. 24), USPS has issued new guidelines on shipping dates:

•       Dec. 15: Parcel Post (what USPS calls its “most economical shipping service”)
•       Dec. 20: First-Class Mail
•       Dec. 21: Priority Mail
•       Dec. 22: Express Mail

USPS shipping basics include:

•       Remove batteries from toys and other electronic devices
•       Place a card inside the package with the delivery and return addresses
•       Include “to” and “from” information on packages—only on one side
•       Always use a return address, in case the package can’t be delivered
•       Pick a box that is strong enough to protect the contents
•       Don't reuse mailing boxes because they can weaken in the shipping process
•       Leave space for cushioning inside the package; stuffing glass and fragile, hollow items—like vases—with newspaper or packing material
•       Take the glass out of a frame and wrap it separately

USPS says Parcel Post packages using a customer-supplied box can’t weigh more than 70 pounds and the combined length and width must be 130 inches or less; make sure you measure the width around the largest point of the package.

The postal service also cautions that because of security requirements, holiday packages with postage stamps and weighing more than 13 ounces must be presented to an employee at the retail counter of a post office; these packages cannot be dropped in blue collection boxes.

Debating whether to insure your precious bundles? Tips are available here: http://about.usps.com/publications/pub370.pdf.

Susan LaChance, USPS vice president of Consumer Industry Affairs, said in a press release that following this advice helps USPS “meet our customer expectations and ensures a positive experience from beginning to end.”

More details are available at www.usps.com/2011holidaynews or by calling (800) ASK-USPS (800) 275-8777.

In addition to the tips above, UPS also recommends:

• Using a shipping option that provides a package tracking number
• Sealing homemade holiday treats in an interior airtight container or plastic bag before packing them
• Shipping wrapped gifts and luggage ahead to your destination if you are traveling

Another bit of advice offered by UPS—if you order gifts online or from catalogs, have the gifts delivered to a mailbox at the UPS store, instead of taking a chance on valuable packages sitting on a doorstep for hours unattended.  UPS also reports Mondays are typically the busiest shipping days, with Dec. 12-16 expected to be the busiest week of the year. The holiday rush could go as late as Dec. 22!

More details on the Kingstowne UPS location and online services are available on http://www.theupsstorelocal.com/3532/ or by calling (703) 924-4201.