The U.S. Postal Service’s digital tally of holiday mail in Times Square is closing in on a billion pieces, and 640 million will be handled today, the agency’s busiest of the year. That’s a 5% increase over last year’s highest-volume day and reflects growth in advertising mail and packages, USPS says.
This Saturday, December 20, is the deadline for Americans to send cards and packages with the expectation of having them reach their destinations by Christmas Day. Users of Priority Mail have until the 23rd. There’s no talk of five-day delivery at USPS headquarters in L’Enfant Square this week; letter carriers will be out and about all seven days in major cities.
It’s the busiest day for major private shippers, as well. UPS expects to deliver a record 34 million packages today and FedEx predicts it will move 22.5 million, also a record.
