20 Billion Letters, Packages and Cards Heading Across America
Through Christmas
WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- If all the mail the U.S. Postal
Service will deliver on Dec. 19 was placed end to end, it would circle the
globe. Six times.
The Postal Service will deliver 20 billion letters, packages and cards
between Thanksgiving and Christmas, with the busiest mailing day expected to
be Monday, Dec. 19, with more than 280 million cards and letters being
cancelled -- more than twice that of an average day. Total mail volume on Dec.
19 is expected to rise to 900 million pieces of mail, up from 670 million
pieces on an average day.
"We know that our customers depend on us during the holidays. We've been
delivering holiday cheer for 236 years," said Patrick Donahoe, Deputy
Postmaster General and Chief Operating Officer. "If I could sit down at the
kitchen table with every American family this holiday season, I would share
just one simple message. We're ready for you!"
About 100 million First-Class letters are processed every day. That number
increases to 150 million a day during the holidays. About 1 million packages
will be delivered every day through Christmas Eve. The busiest delivery day
will be Wednesday, Dec. 21.
"Our commitment to our customers remains strong. We have a challenge ahead
that is going to be met. And we have plans in place to meet them," Donahoe
said.
More than 7,400 Post Offices across the country have extended hours into
the evening and weekends for the holiday season. Within the next two weeks,
the National Operations Center will be staffed around the clock, seven days a
week, to monitor and coordinate mail transportation nationwide. About 15,000
additional, seasonal staff will be hired at the busiest processing centers and
Post Offices.
More than 2,500 Automated Postal Centers (APCs) have been installed in
Postal facilities, reaching into more and more neighborhoods around the
country to make visiting a Post Office easier. Just as an ATM is a virtual,
stand-alone bank, the APC is a virtual, stand-alone Post Office. The APC does
everything short of face-to-face transactions, dispensing stamps, weighing
packages and calculating postage for Express Mail, Priority Mail, First-Class
Mail and Parcel Post items.
APCs also provide extensive mailing information and ZIP Code locators.
And, like Santa Claus, the Post Office is everywhere, with 36,000
locations across the country and on every computer in America at usps.com.
Almost anything that can be done at a Post Office can be done online at
usps.com, at a time that is convenient for the customer.
Ship a package, purchase stamps, hold mail, request a carrier pick up, and
design and print greeting cards, and find a ZIP Code. Included in the more
than two dozen services available through the Postal Service website are
Click-N-Ship and Carrier Pickup. Click-N-Ship allows customers to print labels
and pay for postage and insurance from laptops or desktops.
With Carrier Pickup, customers can take advantage of the personal
convenience and service of having packages picked up at their home or office,
saving a trip to the Post Office, regardless of the weather. Unlike other
shipping companies, there is no fee for the service.
Customers simply print Priority Mail and Express Mail labels with Click-N-
Ship, then log on to http://www.usps.com to request a pickup of the package. A
letter carrier will pick it up at no extra charge during the next day's
delivery.
Customers also can call 1-800-ASK-USPS for general information on hours
and services. More than 2.2 billion holiday cookie stamps have been printed
and are available to customers by calling 1-800-STAMP-24. Stamps also may be
purchased at more than 80,000 locations, including supermarkets, convenience
stores, drugstores and ATMs, in addition to Post Offices.
"With the holidays just around the corner, everyone can use a little help.
Let our convenient online services and Postal locations around town give you
more time to spend with family and friends this holiday season," Donahoe said.
Since 1775, the Postal Service and its predecessor, the Post Office
Department, has connected friends, families, neighbors and businesses by mail.
It is an independent federal agency that visits 142 million homes and
businesses every day, six days a week and is the only service provider
delivering to every address in the nation. The Postal Service receives no
taxpayer dollars for routine operations, but derives its operating revenues
solely from the sale of postage, products and services. With annual revenues
of more than $69 billion, it is the world's leading provider of mailing and
delivery services, offering some of the most affordable postage rates in the
world. The Postal Service delivers more than 46 percent of the world's mail
volume-some 206 billion letters, advertisements, periodicals and packages a
year-and serves seven and a half million customers each day at its 37,000
retail locations nationwide. Its website, usps.com, attracts more than 21
million visitors each month.
Visit the Holiday Press Room at usps.com
SOURCE U.S. Postal Service
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Related links:
http://www.usps.com
CONTACT:
U.S. Postal Service, Media Relations,
+1-202-268-2155
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