CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Shop early, so you can mail early.
The United States Postal Service is letting people know when those holiday packages have to be on their way to make it to their destination by Christmas.
"The deadlines are fast approaching. I always recommend mail early so you can sit back and enjoy the holidays," said USPS spokesperson Philip Bogenberger.
Recommended mail-by dates for the USPS are as follows:
- First Class Ground Advantage: December 18th
- Priority Mail: December 19th
- Priority Mail Express: December 21st
The holiday mail-by dates for military and diplomatic post offices are:
- First Class Mail: December 9th
- Priority Mail: December 9th
- Priority Mail Express Military Service: December 16th
The good news is, there is plenty of staff to handle the holiday load.
"We've been working on strengthening our workforce as part of the Delivering for America ten year plan. Our workforce is so strong that we didn't hire as many seasonal workers because we didn't have as many positions available because our full- time workforce is doing really really well," Bogenberger said.
Extra technology doesn't hurt either. Just since the holiday season last year, USPS added 158 high speed package sorting machines, making 506 total.
Customers are encouraged to make sure they use sturdy boxes for their goods, write the address legibly and always include the zip code.
For other shipping services' mail-by holiday dates, check Fedex's dates here or UPS dates here.