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SALT LAKE CITY -- With Christmas quickly approaching, many are rushing to the post office in an attempt to mail packages and holiday cards in time for the week's end. And if you are one of delayed many, be prepared to wait in some long lines Monday.
As the day progresses, the lines will likely get longer, which makes arriving at the post office early a must for people looking to get their shipping done quickly.
Like millions of Americans, Frederickson has Christmas packages ready to be shipped all over the world, and he decided to wait until Monday to do it.
"We've got (packages) going to London," said West Valley City resident Dick Frederickson. "We've got others going to Idaho, West Virginia and California. We thought this would be the best day to go."
Across the nation, two million cards and packages are expected to be mailed Monday. On average, the postal service processes about 551 million pieces of mail every day across the nation. That jumps to 589 million a day during the holiday season. About 16.5 billion cards, letters and packages are expected to be delivered in the month of December.
- Last day for most international shipping for Christmas arrival
- Last day to send First-Class Mail® for Christmas arrival
- Last day to send Priority Mail for Christmas arrival
- Last day for most Express Mail for Christmas arrival
"Today will be our busiest day, so there will be a lot of long lines in the offices," said Linda Pickett, retail manager for the Salt Lake district of USPS. "You want to go in early."
At post offices around the state, mailers have been filing in since the doors opened early Monday morning, carrying Christmas packages, with others providing treats for those in line.
"I waited until about now, thinking it wouldn't be as busy if I would come right when it opened," said Magna resident Sharla Allen.
While Monday is the busiest mailing day of the year, it is not the last day to ensure that First Class packages will arrive by Christmas: Tuesday is the last day.
However, if any packages are shipped Wednesday, mailers will need to ship Priority Mail to ensure delivery before Christmas.
"Everything First Class should make it," Pickett said. "You'll want to stay away from parcel postage at this point in the game."
To avoid long lines this week, the Postal Service recommends printing labels from home, using their website usps.com. But if you need to do it at the post office, they recommend using a self- service kiosk.
"We have over 30 contract postal units, which are full service post offices in grocery stores such as Harmons and Office Depot," Pickett said.
Another reason the post office, FedEx, UPS and others are busier this time of year, especially in Utah: More people are shipping their skis and snowboards to their vacation ski spot. The Park Record says more resorts are seeing people opt to mail their gear instead of pay high airline baggage fees.
Shippack Place in Park City has seen a 60 percent increase in ski equipment shipped by ground transport. A company named Luggage Forward says 31 percent of its business is ski and snowboarding gear being shipped to Colorado and Utah. It says the majority of gear is still checked onto airlines.
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Written by Shara Park and Mary Richards.
