Walmart, Amazon, and Target are all jumping headfirst into the holiday season, and the United States Postal Service (USPS) has also joined in the holiday prep.
The USPS has made several moves over the last several months to ensure that all packages are delivered in a timely, affordable fashion.
Perhaps the biggest bonus for the holiday season is that the USPS will not be adding any surcharges to holiday deliveries. This includes minimum volumes, residential area deliveries, and Saturday deliveries.
“Our 2022 peak season was a tremendous success,” said Postmaster General and CEO Louis DeJoy. “We are ready to deliver for the holidays in a superior and routine manner.
“We have been planning early and leveraging investments in our people, infrastructure, transportation, and technology made possible by the Delivering for America plan. And with no holiday surcharges, we are strongly positioned to be America’s most affordable delivery provider this holiday season.”
Improving delivery efficiency
Ahead of the holiday season, consumers should know about several of the adjustments the USPS has made to improve delivery efficiency.
The agency has worked to increase its daily processing capacity and upgrade technology at sorting facilities around the country. Both of these advancements allow packages to move faster through the postal network, improve the reliability of the sorting process, and ensure packages are delivered as quickly as possible.
The USPS will also hire 10,000 seasonal employees. This move will help with the influx of packages that are expected during the holiday season.
Earlier this year, the USPS implemented a new shipping option – USPS Ground Advantage – and the agency expects that this will also be of great benefit for consumers shipping packages during the holidays. With this option, packages are delivered in two to five business days, and there is a lower price tag when shipping packages under 70 lbs.
The agency has also transitioned to utilizing ground transportation for 95% of all deliveries. Rather than air transport, the ground system is more reliable, and with reliability being an important factor – especially during the holidays– this is likely to make shipping smoother this holiday season.
While the USPS is yet to reveal its final deadlines for ensuring gifts are delivered in time for the holidays, it can be helpful to review last year’s timeline when planning over the next few months.