Holiday Planning Guide:
This Week In Connecticut Valley Post Offices

Online Services, Military and International Mailing Deadlines Kick Off Month of Mailing Stories

Starting today, Post Offices across the region gear up for holiday mailers. Here is a local editorial planning guide to the ways the Postal Service will reach out to customers this week

Appy ‘olidays from the Postal Service

HARTFORD — As consumers move from ‘sold’ to ‘send,’ savvy shippers are looking for postal bargains online from the Postal Service. The most popular usps.com services are now found on web-enabled cell phones and other mobile devices. And holiday mailers can follow the Postal Service on Twitter, with tweets of mailing tips and fun facts.

“Currently, our website is one of the busiest in the nation with more than 41 million visitors expected this month, and we know from customer feedback that they are delighted with the ease and convenience of buying stamps, printing shipping labels or locating ZIP Codes online,” said Kimberly J. Peters, Acting District Manager for the Postal Service’s Connecticut Valley District. “Our new mobile capability makes mailing services even more convenient for our customers.”

With more than 232 million mobile communications devices in the United States — a growing number of which access the web — some of the most popular functions currently available on usps.com are now available on cell phones and other mobile devices. These include Track & Confirm, Post Office locator, and the most popular application, ZIP Code lookup. A special Holiday Shipping Section, with information specific to the holidays, is also available for mobile access.

Explore mobile postal applications at http://m.usps.com/ or twitter.com/holidayshipping. Both services are new this holiday season.

Military Mailing Deadlines This Week:

December 4th: Recommended deadlines sending first class letters and Priority Military Mail destined for Iraq or Afghanistan (see chart below).

Mail to overseas military addresses is charged at domestic mail prices, with an opportunity for an additional discount. While the domestic mail price for the largest Flat-Rate Priority Mail box is $13.95, the “America Supports You” Priority Mail Large Box to APO/FPO (military) addresses is 50 percent larger than other USPS flat-rate boxes and earns a discount to bump down to $11.95.

The Postal Service provides free Military Care Kits, designed specifically for military families sending packages overseas. The mailing kits can be ordered by calling 1-800-610-8734 and includes two “America Supports You” Priority Mail Large Boxes, four Priority Mail Medium Flat Rate Boxes, six Priority Mail labels, one roll of Priority Mail tape and six customs forms with envelopes. Postage is required.

Ordering Priority Mail APO/FPO Large Flat Rate boxes featuring the “America Supports You” logo and detailed information about mailing letters and packages to military destinations is available all year at http://www.usps.com/supportingourtroops/.

Fast Fact: The Postal Service expects to process more than 30 million pounds of mail destined for military installations during November and December, including war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bargain of the Week:

Seasonal bargain hunters using usps.com can save on postage, order free Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes for international shipping or schedule free package pickup.

Put those discounts to use right away as the first recommended mailing deadlines for international mails begin this week. First Class Mails and Priority Mail International heading to Africa, Central and South America should be in the mail by Friday, December 4 for timely receipt by the holidays.

The Postal Service recommends the following deadlines for international delivery of holiday cards and packages by December 25.

IN THE NEXT PLANNING GUIDE (December 3): This weekend in Connecticut Valley Post Offices: Extraordinary hours in unlikely sites, holiday cards and the Bethlehem postmarking tradition.