The remainder of this week and next Monday are expected to be the busiest time of the year for the Statesboro Post Office as people hurry to mail off presents to friends and family.
Don Corley, postmaster for the Statesboro branch, said they may see twice as many packages being mailed in the next few days as they do on a typical day, but assures customers they're prepared.
"We're ready for it," he said.
Post Office officials recommend shipping packages no later than Monday, December 18 to ensure they arrive in time for Christmas. After that, Priority Mail is recommended until December 20 and Express Mail until December 23.
This year, more than 20 billion packages and letters are expected to be sent during the holiday period.
"This time of year is good for us," Corley said. "Our busiest day, as far as outgoing stuff, will probably be next Monday."
Corley also said one of the popular options this year is to have the mail carrier pick up packages from the homes of customers.
"You can go to usps.com and fill out the forms, pay for postage and sign up to have your package picked up," Corley said. "We get an email each morning letting us know what houses will have packages we need to pick up."
For APO and international packages, Corley said those need to be mailed "no later than Wednesday or Thursday" to arrive at its destination by Christmas.
UPS, meanwhile, is expecting Wednesday, December 20 to be their busiest day of the year with more than 21 million packages being shipped just five days before Christmas, according to the company’s website. Typically, UPS handles approximately 15 million packages on a normal business day.
The company recommends shipping packages no later than December 22, as long as they use the next-day air delivery option, in order to have them arrive on December 23. No deliveries will be made on Sunday, December 24 and Monday, December 25.
UPS will resume normal deliveries on Tuesday, December 26.
Don Corley, postmaster for the Statesboro branch, said they may see twice as many packages being mailed in the next few days as they do on a typical day, but assures customers they're prepared.
"We're ready for it," he said.
Post Office officials recommend shipping packages no later than Monday, December 18 to ensure they arrive in time for Christmas. After that, Priority Mail is recommended until December 20 and Express Mail until December 23.
This year, more than 20 billion packages and letters are expected to be sent during the holiday period.
"This time of year is good for us," Corley said. "Our busiest day, as far as outgoing stuff, will probably be next Monday."
Corley also said one of the popular options this year is to have the mail carrier pick up packages from the homes of customers.
"You can go to usps.com and fill out the forms, pay for postage and sign up to have your package picked up," Corley said. "We get an email each morning letting us know what houses will have packages we need to pick up."
For APO and international packages, Corley said those need to be mailed "no later than Wednesday or Thursday" to arrive at its destination by Christmas.
UPS, meanwhile, is expecting Wednesday, December 20 to be their busiest day of the year with more than 21 million packages being shipped just five days before Christmas, according to the company’s website. Typically, UPS handles approximately 15 million packages on a normal business day.
The company recommends shipping packages no later than December 22, as long as they use the next-day air delivery option, in order to have them arrive on December 23. No deliveries will be made on Sunday, December 24 and Monday, December 25.
UPS will resume normal deliveries on Tuesday, December 26.