Post Office preparing for busiest shipping days of the year

Updated: Dec. 18, 2017 at 9:52 AM CST
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SHREVEPORT, LA (KSLA) - The United States Post Office is gearing up for its busiest time of the year where they will mail over 15 billion letters, cards, packages and flats from Thanksgiving to New Years Day, including on Sundays.

At the Post Office on E. 70th in Shreveport (which sits closest to shoppers alley along Youree Drive), employees are working double time to make sure everyone will get their mail come Christmas time.

"We get a lot of seasonal help. We hire employees specifically for this time of the year to make sure that we do get all the packages out," said Post Office General Manager Adrian Hudson.

Hudson says the entire city of Shreveport shipped out about 5,000 packages on Sunday, but one day later, the Southfield location will ship that many alone.

"We've got some employees that are working 7 days a week, and many of them are working 12 hour days."

Due to the number of online shoppers and retailers like Amazon, the number of packages has gone up nearly 10% since last year.

Hudson says procrastinators can create some issues for the post office, but there is a plan in place for that as well.

"We have lobby assistance in our lobbies to help our customers when they come in to make sure we get those packages out," said Hudson. "We have extra trucks coming in to make sure those packages are getting to the plant, and the plant has extra employees as well to make sure we're moving the mail as well as those packages. So the procrastinators are getting theirs, too."

2017 Holiday Shipping Deadlines: The Postal Service recommends the following mailing and shipping deadlines for expected delivery by Dec. 25:*

  • style="background:white;">Dec. 19 – First-Class Mail (including greeting cards)
  • style="background:white;">Dec. 20 – Priority Mail
  • style="background:white;">Dec. 20 – Hawaii to Mainland Priority Mail Express
  • style="background:white;">Dec. 20 – Alaska to Mainland Priority Mail and First–Class Mail
  • style="background:white;">Dec. 21 – Alaska to Mainland Priority Mail Express
  • style="background:white;">Dec. 22 – Priority Mail Express

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