Carriers feeling cheery about holiday deliveries

The nation’s major shipping companies are in good shape to get shoppers’ packages delivered on time this holiday season. Carriers like the US Postal Service, UPS and FedEx are expected to have excess capacity after struggling under a crush of holiday packages, in 2020 and 2021.

There are several factors at play: Consumers have gotten an early start, done more shopping in stores and moderated spending because of inflationary pressures, thus reducing shipping volume and spreading out shipments over a longer period. An extra shipping day between Thanksgiving and Christmas helps, too.