🔓 Postal service holiday shipping deadlines, changes

The holidays are quickly approaching and you may be ordering gifts online or planning to send cards to your loved ones.

Last year, many packages were delayed or lost due to the backlog of deliveries and low number of staff due to covid-19. Delivery services like the US Postal Service were hit hard this time last year.

Heads up, there will be some changes to how your packages are being delivered this holiday season. That means it could take longer depending on how far your mail is going.

USPS Holiday Shipping Deadlines

December 15 - Retail Ground

December 17 - First Class

December 18 - Priority Mail

December 23 - Priority Mail Express

News 6 investigator Erik Sandoval is working on an investigative story looking into the USPS’s new initiatives to help cut costs.

He tours the new USPS processing and sorting facility in South Orlando. The new facility opened over the summer due to population growth and a surge of mail.

It’s a lot different from some of the older facilities and is an example of the upgrades to come across the country. USPS installed new machines to improve efficiency and speed. USPS said the new machines can process 3,000 packages an hour.

“I was excited to see all the new technology. I’ve got 33 years in so to see the evolution of the postal service from when i started to now, it’s amazing,” said Executive Plant Manager Lisa Lake.

While processing may be quicker in some areas, certain mail will take longer to deliver. USPS is also cutting costs by using less planes to ship mail longer distances. Instead, they’ll be using more trucks.

“We are changing the delivery standards for some pieces of mail depending on where it’s going and how much they weigh. Yes, there could be a day or two added on to that, but it’s part of this overall plan we have going on right now,” said USPS Spokesperson David Walton.

It’s called the USPS ‘Delivering For America’ strategic plan. Investigative reporter Erik Sandoval is breaking it all down in his report on Friday. He’s also putting the postal service to the test and sharing how the new strategies will impact your mail delivery.

How have your experiences been lately with USPS? Are your packages getting to their destinations on time? Let us know and we may feature your thoughts and sharing your experiences later this week on News 6.