When you need a package or mail delivered on a specific day, it’s worth checking to see if a holiday is coming up.
if so, you may need to plan accordingly to ensure you’ll still get the package or mail when you need it.
That’s because the USPS doesn’t operate on some holidays.
so if you’re expecting something but it’s thanksgiving, can you expect the usps to deliver it?
does the usps meet on thanksgiving?
no, usps does not deliver on thanksgiving.
thanksgiving is a federal holiday, and since the usps is a federal business, it does not operate on thanksgiving.
As such, you shouldn’t expect any mail or other USPS deliveries on Thanksgiving.
how to get your mail on thanksgiving
If you have important mail that’s supposed to arrive by Thanksgiving, is there a way I can get it?
here are some things you need to do to get your mail on, or just before, thanksgiving.
1. urgent express mail
If you absolutely need your mail or a package for Thanksgiving, the best thing to do is have the sender use urgent priority mail.
is a much more expensive shipping option, but unlocks the ability to have your item arrive on Sunday or holidays.
That includes your package arriving on Thanksgiving Day.
There may be some exceptions depending on the local post office, but if the sender pays an additional fee to have it delivered on Thanksgiving, it should arrive by then.
If your sender doesn’t want to pay the extra fee, you can always offer to pay for the shipping yourself.
The nice thing about express priority mail is that if they can’t get your package to you on time, you get a refund.
You don’t have to pay for delivery.
If you need your mail or package to arrive by Thanksgiving, the best way to ensure it arrives by then is to use Priority Mail Express.
2. intercept a packet
Another thing you can do to try to get your mail delivered before Thanksgiving is to use the USPS Package Intercept Service.
When you choose to intercept a package, the USPS will hold the package wherever it is at the time.
It takes a little planning and understanding of the time it takes for your mail to go through the system.
however, if you can do it at the right time, you can ask them to hold your package at one of their facilities.
As long as the facility allows visitors, you can go there yourself and pick up your mail or package.
Please note that these offices and centers will not be open on Thanksgiving Day.
as such, you’ll need to use the intercept a packet service before that.
this helps you get the package for thanksgiving because it skips a step.
If you did not use intercept a package, it may take another day for the package or mail to reach your local post office.
if that day is thanksgiving, you’ll have to wait another day to get it.
If you use the service intercept a packet, you can stop its progress and collect it yourself.
this allows you to get it the day before thanksgiving and avoid waiting another day for it to arrive.
You’ll need to do some research to determine what distribution centers and post offices are around you.
You won’t be able to pick it up at a distribution center, but if you can intercept it as it passes through another post office, you can get your mail on thanksgiving.
The service of intercepting a package is a great way to stop the progress of the mail, so you can pick it up yourself and save time on delivery.
3. schedule a new delivery
another option to receive your mail or package before thanksgiving is to use usps schedule a forwarding service.
This is ideal if the USPS tried to deliver the package or mail to your home, but couldn’t.
this usually happens when the package needs a signature.
sometimes the usps will also ask you to go to the post office when the package is too big to put on the truck.
The best thing about scheduling a forwarding service is that it allows you to request same-day forwarding.
This is ideal if you just missed your package and the next day is Thanksgiving.
To request a new delivery, all you need to do is log in and create an account with the USPS.
You will then see an option to schedule a new delivery.
will ask you for some details about the missing package.
then you can ask when you want the new delivery to take place.
As long as you apply before 3 a.m. ET, you should be able to get it redelivered by the USPS the same day as your request.
They will receive the request, put the package on the truck and try to deliver it back to your home.
This is a great way to get your last minute mail or package before Thanksgiving if they’ve already tried to deliver it to your home.
Using the USPS Schedule A Forwarding service, you can ensure that if you miss delivery, they can try to deliver your package again the same day.
4. hold mail
When someone holds your USPS mail, it usually means they’re going on vacation.
they won’t be home to pick up their mail.
gives them peace of mind knowing they don’t have to worry about people checking their mail while they’re away or stealing their packages.
It’s also a handy tool to make sure you get your mail or package before Thanksgiving.
When you ask the office to hold your mail, it will not go on the bus.
Instead, the post office will keep it until you pick up your mail yourself or resume your delivery service.
The benefit of having the post office hold it for you is that you can rely on yourself to receive the mail or package instead of waiting for the USPS worker to have time to deliver it all.
the usps is a busy institution.
Although mail carriers do their best to get all the mail out every day, it’s not always possible.
they may have to put it back on the truck and try to deliver one more time tomorrow.
There is a chance that your mail or package may not arrive the day before Thanksgiving because the USPS is too busy.
To avoid this, you can request that the office hold your mail.
This allows you to go to the office and pick up your mail or package yourself.
You don’t have to worry about it not showing up in your mailbox because the delivery person is too busy to reach everyone or handle the packages.
5. redirect a packet
A final method you can use to receive your package or mail just before Thanksgiving is to redirect a package.
If you have a friend or family member who gets their mail a little earlier than you or lives closer to a distribution center, you can have your package redirected to their address instead of yours.
By reducing some of the miles your package or mail has to travel, you can get there a little sooner.
It all comes down to knowing where your package or mail is coming from.
Once you know where your starting point is, you can track the possible path it will take through USPS processing and distribution facilities.
In most cases, you’ll want to use as direct a route as possible, as it’s cheaper.
If you used ground shipping, you also know that everything arrives by road.
If a friend or family member lives on that route and is closer to the starting point than you are, you can redirect a packet to that address instead.
usps will then deliver the package to that address, which could reduce delivery time by a day or two.
This ensures delivery before Thanksgiving.
then you can drive before or on thanksgiving to pick it up.
Rerouting your package takes a bit of research and planning, but it may be a way for the USPS to deliver your package earlier and receive it before Thanksgiving.
how to make your mail or packages arrive faster
A problem you can sometimes run into with the USPS is that they won’t deliver mail or packages on federal holidays.
If you need a specific package or need a specific letter, you can expect it to arrive before the holidays arrive.
This might make you wonder if there is anything you can do to make your mail or package arrive faster.
here are some things you can do to help speed up your delivery.
1. choose air shipping
When choosing a shipping method for your package, you can reduce delivery time by choosing air shipping instead of ground shipping.
The seller might call it expedited shipping or express shipping.
generally takes a few days off the estimated ground shipping time.
That’s because your package will be traveling on a plane instead of a truck.
planes can cross distances much faster than trucks or trains.
They have higher speeds and don’t have to worry about things like traffic.
The only delay that usually affects planes is bad weather.
Even then, bad weather usually clears up within a few hours.
By choosing air shipping, you can speed up the delivery process and receive your package before Thanksgiving.
2. priority mail
another way to speed up the delivery of your mail or package is to use priority mail.
When you ship something or choose a shipping method, sometimes you should see priority mail.
This is usually a more expensive shipping method than standard shipping.
That’s because when you choose priority express or something similar, your package or mail gets a lot of care and attention.
the usps makes it a priority and makes sure it gets sorted quickly and put on a truck.
priority express mail usually only takes a day or two to arrive.
This makes it a great method for when you need a package before Thanksgiving and you only have a few days left before the holidays.
Although it will cost you more money, using priority mail is a great way to speed up your delivery.
3. no signatures
One way to slow down your delivery is to request a signature.
While the requirement for a signature ensures that your package arrives safely, it also means that there is a higher chance that it will not be delivered.
You have to be home when the postman arrives to sign for the package.
if not, they will take the package with them.
if you’re lucky, you might be able to go to the post office before it closes to pick it up.
however, if it is not, you will have to wait until the next day to try to sign the package again.
This slows down the process because it can be difficult to coordinate with your local postal worker.
If you have to work outside the home, you’re not always there when they arrive.
By choosing not to sign, the postal worker can leave the package at your home even if you are not there.
This ensures that there are no delays.
Sometimes you can also do an online signature which also allows the postman to drop it off at your home.
By eliminating the need for a signature, you can eliminate any potentially lost deliveries and speed up the process.
conclusion
the usps does not meet on thanksgiving because its offices are not open.
thanksgiving is a federal holiday recognized by the usps.
Fortunately, there are a few ways listed above that you can use to speed up your delivery or ensure you can get it before or on Thanksgiving.