'Biggest ever' demand for Christmas package delivery
If you’re looking to ship parcels to family and friends this Christmas, it might be a good idea to get it done sooner rather than later.
And here’s why.
A huge spike in online purchases due to the COVID-19 pandemic means significantly higher parcel volumes for delivery companies, who have kicked it in overdrive to keep up with demands this holiday season.
“I’m 30 years in the industry and this year has been the biggest I’ve seen,” Stephen Noseworthy, Purolator’s senior manager for Atlantic Canada, said of the surge in volume.
“And I think there are many variables – the pandemic, initially, and I think with the pandemic and the restrictions people have had with lockdowns, malls closed, it’s just increased the demand on e-commerce and the delivery to home.”
The peak season for Purolator typically runs from Nov. 1 to Dec. 24. However, a surge in volume this year started in August and shows no signs of slowing down.
And, with unpredictable East Coast weather, Noseworthy encourages people to send their parcels off early to avoid unexpected delays.
“If it’s gifts for Christmas and whatnot, I think people should be looking at those opportunities now if they’re just going to go from a ground perspective,” he said.
“The last real opportunity you’ll see when you choose our express overnight service will be Dec. 22; you’re really cutting it down to the wire at that point.”
Purolator is expected to pick up and deliver more than 46 million packages nationally during November and December – a 20 per cent jump in peak-season demand compared to 2019. As a result, it has added staff, expanded customer access points, and increased the number of mobile quick stop trucks for contactless shipment drop-offs.
“We’ve done it in the past; we’ve had some mobile trucks that we had set up in the past, even in the metro Halifax area, but we tried to increase it this year based on customer accessibility and even in our retail centres now we have an opportunity for curb pick-up,” said Noseworthy.
Canada Post also encourages people to ship early this season to avoid a potential Christmas capacity crunch.
Rod Hart, chief customer and marketing officer, says Canada Post is preparing for a holiday season like no other.
To help manage the increased demand for parcel delivery, Canada Post has scaled up its operations. The mail delivery service is adding more than 4,000 temporary seasonal employees and increasing its fleet by more than 1,000 vehicles.
Canada Post will also deliver on weekends in many communities, add more parcel pickup locations, and extend hours at post offices.
“We know how important these items are to you and we want to deliver,” Hart said in a news release. “We also know there are many retailers of all sizes gearing up for your early shopping. We’re gearing up to help you and to help them have a great ending to a very challenging year.”
CANADA POST DEADLINES
When to send packages within Canada for Christmas Local:
Priority - Dec. 21 Xpresspost - Dec. 21
Flat rate - Dec. 21
Regular parcel - Dec. 18 Regional:
Priority - Dec. 21 Xpresspost - Dec. 21
Flat rate - Dec. 17-21 Regular parcel - Dec. 15-17 National
Priority - Dec. 21 Xpresspost - Dec. 18
Flat rate - Dec. 11-18 Regular parcel - Dec. 9-16 When to send cards within Canada for Christmas Destination Send by
Local Dec. 21 Regional Dec. 21 National Dec. 18 Source: Canadapost.ca Purolator send-by dates
Dec. 11 – Africa, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and South Asia
Dec. 15 – United States via Purolator Ground
Dec. 17 – East Asia (including China, Japan and Thailand)
Dec. 18 – Australia, Mexico, Caribbean, South and Central America, Western Europe (including the United Kingdom, France, and Germany)
Dec. 22 – Canada, next-day delivery (where available), United States next-day delivery (where available)
Source: Purolator.com
HOLIDAY SHIPPING TIPS FROM PUROLATOR
• Place gifts in the centre of the box or carton, ensuring all items fit well and don't protrude.
• Wrap all items with protective packaging. Use at least three inches thick for fragile items.
• Be sure to fill in hollow spaces with bubble wrap and use cardboard inserts to protect edges for gifts such as books and picture frames.
• Avoid using wrapping paper to ship a gift as it can get damaged during the delivery cycle. Instead, try durable bubble wrap and boxes available at your local Purolator shipping centre.
• Affix appropriate labels when required: heavyweight, glass, and liquid.
• Avoid using previously used boxes, which can lose their strength over time.
• Avoid using glue, masking tape, cellophane tape, or opaque tape to seal boxes. Plastic, pressure-sensitive packing tape are recommended to seal your shipments.
• Never tie a package with string, rope or elastic bands. These items may get caught in processing equipment or torn off, damaging the package.
• Affix clearly visible shipping and receiving addresses with postal codes on each package in your shipment.
• Retain your Package Identification Number for easy tracking of your package. Visit www.purolator.com to track your package.
Source: Purolator.com