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U.S. Postal Service heading into home stretch of busiest time of year

By Tony Atkins
By Tony Atkins

PITTSBURGH — According to the U.S. Postal Service, Monday marks their busiest day of the year.

During the holiday stretch, beginning on Thanksgiving, USPS expects to receive and deliver over 15.5 billion parcels of mail.

“This is getting to be crunch time for the United States Postal Service,” said Tad Kelley, spokesperson for USPS. “We expect to be very, very busy.”

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Of the 15.5 billion parcels of mail that will be expedited nationwide this holiday season, about 200 million parcels will be distributed from the Pennwood Place Processing Center, a 342,000 square-foot plant in Warrendale.

“This is a plant that’s going to do a tremendous amount of mail this holiday season,” Kelley said.

During peak business days during the holiday season, Pennwood Place can see up to 300,000 pieces in one day alone.

“We look at the holiday season as our Super Bowl,” Kelley said.

Monday, the USPS’ Western Pennsylvania District plans to collect and cancel over 2.5 million pieces of mail, which is more than a normal day’s volume.

IDEAL HOLIDAY SHIPPING DEADLINES FOR DEC. 25:

  • First-Class Mail International     Dec – 1
  • Priority Mail International            Dec – 2
  • Priority Mail Express Int.               Dec – 8
  • Standard Post                                     Dec - 15
  • Global Express Guaranteed            Dec - 19
  • First-Class Mail                                 Dec - 19
  • Priority Mail                                        Dec - 21
  • Priority Mail Express                        Dec - 23 *Priority Mail Exp. commitments based on drop-off times.

TIPS VIA USPS: DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON, CUSTOMERS ARE URGED TO:

Addressing & Labeling

  • Print complete and correct addresses clearly in capital letters with a pen or permanent marker.
  • Do not use commas or periods.
  • Include the ZIP Code +4 whenever possible.
  • Never guess at a ZIP Code, www.usps.com will help you find the correct ZIP Code
  • Mark the package "Fragile" or "Perishable" when appropriate.
  • If you're reusing a box, make sure all other addresses are covered or blacked out. 

Here are more holiday shipping tips to help customers prepare holiday shipments for an on-time delivery

  • Enjoy convenience: Order free Priority Mail shipping supplies on usps.com and have them delivered to your door, free of charge.
  • Be informed: Check usps.com to verify that your items can be shipped.
  • Pack smart: Pick a strong and sturdy box, cushion contents with packing peanuts, newspaper or bubble wrap and tape it closed with strong packing tape.
  • Save a trip: Visit usps.com to pay for postage and request free Package Pickup at your door.
  • Track it: Sign up for text and email alerts through my.usps.com to track the delivery status of your packages.

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