Shipping gifts? Deadlines approach
If you want it there on time, take heed.
Santa’s best helpers — FedEx, the U.S. Postal Service and United Parcel Service — are getting ready to gas up their sleighs.
To make sure they deliver your gifts on time, take note of key shipping deadlines.
Having Christmas on a Monday helps procrastinators shop for lastminute gifts in stores, but it doesn’t do any favors for those sending gifts.
Here are the last days to ship for delivery by Christmas:
FedEx
❚ Friday: Ground
❚ Dec. 19: Express Saver ❚ Dec. 20: Two-day ❚ Dec. 21: Overnight shipping deadline
U.S. Postal Service
❚ Thursday: USPS Retail Ground shipments ❚ Dec. 19: First Class
❚ Dec. 20: Priority Mail ❚ Dec. 22: Priority Mail Express ❚ Alaska: Deadline for First Class and Priority Mail shipments is Dec. 20; Priority Mail Express is Dec. 21. ❚ Hawaii: Deadline for First Class and Priority Mail shipments is Friday; Priority Mail Express is Dec. 20.
United Parcel Service
❚ Dec. 18: UPS 3 Day Select
❚ Dec. 20: 2nd Day Air
❚ Dec. 21: Next Day Air
The nation’s three biggest shipping companies expect to deliver record numbers of packages this holiday season.
Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, the Postal Service expects to deliver more than 15 billion pieces of mail, including 850 million packages, a
10% increase over last holiday season. UPS expects to deliver more than 750 million packages globally in the 25-day period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, a 5% increase from last year, the company announced.
And FedEx estimates it’ll deliver up to 400 million packages.
This year, the post office and companies have some new delivery options that could buy you extra time, but some come at a cost.
❚ New this year, UPS customers sending gifts to nearly 4,700 cities and towns have the added benefit of Saturday ground pickup and delivery service.
❚ The Postal Service anticipates delivering more than 6 million packages on Sundays this December, and in select locations mail carriers will also deliver packages on Christmas Day.
❚ Many Walgreens and other retail locations in the FedEx Onsite network will be open Christmas Day, and packages delivered to these locations before Dec.
25 can be picked up on the holiday.