Big push is on for holiday deliveries
By SUZETTE PORTER
Article published on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2006  |
PINELLAS COUNTY - Time is growing short to get holiday cards and packages delivered in time for Christmas.
The United States Postal Service, FedEx and United Parcel Service are all reporting record numbers as they move toward the projected biggest shipping dates of the season.
USPS and Fed Ex expect the busiest day to be Monday, Dec. 18. UPS expects Wednesday, Dec. 20, to be its peak day for ground shipments and Dec. 22 for air shipments.
FedEx projects it will break company records when 9.8 million packages move through its networks on Dec.18, according to a press release.
"From 186 packages on our first day of operations to almost 10 million in one night this holiday season, the busiest day of 2006 will again make history for FedEx," said Frederick W. Smith, chairman, president and CEO of FedEx Corp.
UPS also expects to continue its long-standing role as Santa's busiest helper and projects that package volume will increase from roughly 15 million packages a day to more than 21 million on the busiest day, according to a press release posted on its Web site.
USPS expects to process more than 280 million cards and letters on its busiest day, which is more than twice the average processed on any given day. According to a press release, total mail volume on Dec. 18 is projected to rise to 900 million pieces of mail, increased from 670 million pieces on an average day.
Web sites for all three organizations are gearing up to handle record traffic as people track their packages to their destinations.
FedEx's site, fedex.com, expects to process an average of almost six million online tracking requests a day during the peak month of December. This is a 31 percent increase over 2005.
UPS also is expecting a spike in tracking requests at its Web site traffic at ups.com. Officials expect more than 130 million online tracking requests during the week before Christmas and more than 25 million tracking requests on its busiest day, Dec. 20.
USPS has created a special holiday page on its Web site, USPS.com/holiday, where people can ship a package, purchase stamps, hold mail, request a free package pickup, find a ZIP Code and design and print greeting cards and more.
All three organizations are offering extended hours and have increased manpower to meet the demand. All three also offer special services to ensure packages arrive on time; however, the longer consumers wait to ship, the more the cost.
For deadlines, costs and available shipping methods, visit usps.com, ups.com or fedex.com.
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Article published on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2006
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