washington: the united states postal service has released its holiday deadlines to meet this year.
“Regardless of your plans, the postal service is ready to do its part to handle your special holiday gifts and greetings. But we also need you to do your part, and that’s to make sure you get those packages and well wishes to your post office location on time,” the usps said.
Related: ‘Snail Mail’ Is About To Get Slower: New USPS Standards To Push Some Delivery Times Back From Friday
The postal service recommends the following shipping and shipping times for expected delivery before December 1st. 25:
Nov. 6 – USPS Retail Ground Service Military Mail
Dec. 9 – Priority Mail and First Class Military Mail
Dec. 15 – USPS Retail Ground Service
Dec. 16 – Priority Mail Express Military Mail Service
Dec. 18 – first class mail service (including greeting cards)
Dec. 18 – first class packages (up to 15.99 ounces)
Dec. 20 – priority mail service
Dec. 23 – express priority mail service
alaska
Dec. 18 – alaska to/from usa uu. continental – first class mail
Dec. 18 – alaska to/from usa uu. continental – priority mail
Dec. 21 – alaska to/from usa uu. continental – priority mail express
Hawaii
Dec. 17 – hawaii to/from the mainland – priority mail and first class mail
Dec. 21 – hawaii to/from mainland-priority mail express
The busiest time of the season for the postal service begins two weeks before Christmas, the USPS said. Customer traffic at all post offices is expected to increase steadily beginning the week of December. 6, with the week of Dec. 13-18 is anticipated to be the busiest shipping, shipping and delivery week of the season.
those who use the usps will notice price increases.
On August 8 to January 29, the cost of a first-class permanent stamp increased three cents, from 55 cents to 58 cents.
There are also temporary price increases until December. 26, 12:01 AM m Central Time for business and retail customers. These temporary fees will keep the postal service competitive and provide the agency with the revenue needed to cover additional costs in anticipation of peak season volume surges similar to levels experienced in 2020, the USPS said.
Visit usps.com/holidaynews for more details.
Americans across the country could also start to see slowdowns in mail delivery after usa. uu. the postal service implemented its new service standards.
The changes, which include longer first-class mail delivery times and cuts to postal hours, are part of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s 10-year plan for the agency that he unveiled earlier this year.
Related: USPS Seeks to Hire Thousands Amid Lackluster September Jobs Report
according to usps spokesperson kim frum, the service changes will not affect about 60% of first-class mail and nearly all periodicals. within a local area, the standard delivery time for first class mail in one piece will continue to be two days.
However, mail traveling longer distances will take longer to arrive in some cases, due to the USPS increasing transit time.
USPS’s sweeping plan, titled “Delivering for America,” promises to make the postal service more competitive and more modern, including a new fleet of energy-efficient delivery vehicles. In March, DeJoy, a holdover from the Trump administration, told reporters at a news conference that it “takes a holistic view of the organization and is meant to elevate our business, competitiveness, and our ability to meet the needs of the nation.” .
In February, dejoy apologized for slow mail delivery during the peak holiday season, telling the Democrat-controlled House Oversight and Reform Committee that it was “unacceptable.”
also in february, biden nominated three people to the agency’s board of governors, a move some lawmakers hoped would eventually lead to dejoy’s ouster and which fulfilled a promise the administration would make the board and the agency a priority in the early days of his presidency, the trio of nominees said during a congressional hearing in April that they had not compromised or been pressured about dejoy’s possible firing.
cnn contributed to this report.
The video in the player above is from a previous report.