BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The holiday season is here, and the postal services anticipate high rates of packages being delivered.
As the holiday season is approaching many folks will be taking trips to the post office. While we must ensure mom, dad, and especially grandma receive their gifts we first need to learn how to properly prepare the package.
“You want to make sure it's properly addressed. Full name, address, full city, state, and zip code. And then your full name, city, state, and zip code and your address as well to make sure it can properly get there,” said Sara Owens, Lead Clerk at United States Postal Services.
Owens said to make sure to include a return address. They are vital during the holidays to avoid any shipping complications.
Another important thing to remember is securing fragile items with bubble wrap is essential for safe delivery.
“We always recommend at least two inches of bubble wrap around anything fragile that could possibly break or bend. Make sure that it’s sturdy, really packed in a good sturdy box,” said Owens.
The USPS emphasizes the importance of holiday cut-off dates and encourages everyone to ship their packages sooner rather than later to avoid delays for the holidays.
“For smaller packages such as your first-class parcels and mail, December 17th is the cutoff point. But you can still send it off course. You want to ensure it's going to get there on time.” Sara
Lisa Conners, the USPS postmaster, said that Click N Ship is an online service the post office provides that allows customers to purchase and print labels right from their phone or computer.
“So, Click and ship is a service we provide where a customer at home can print out their label, pay for it at home, prepare their package and bring it to the office or schedule an online pickup and we can pick it up as we’re delivering mail,” said Conners.
This online service also allows customers to avoid long lines and wait times as expected during the holiday season.
“Beat the crowd, beat the line, drop it off, it's ready to go, it's paid for, and we can get that there without you having to stay in the lines,” said Owens.
Mail carriers are working around the clock and oftentimes with extended hours to get packages delivered in a timely manner
“Our carriers are out until our last parcel is dropped so there have been some late nights, so if you’re out there and your carrier is out in the dark, put your lights on for them, beware of anything tripping hazards for them, we’d really appreciate that,” said Conners.
Again, to ensure that no friend or family member goes without their Christmas gift this year, the USPS advises us to send out our packages no later than December 17th.
