Holiday Editorial Planning Guide: This Week In CT Post Offices

Connecticut Gears Up for Busiest Mailing Day – December 15

HARTFORD —Around the world, more than six billion paper cards are exchanged each year.  Next Monday night, it may feel like most of those cards will be found in local post offices, as the Postal Service predicts December 15 will be the year's busiest mailing day. 

Nationwide, more than 960 million pieces of mail are expected to be processed that evening, up from an average of 700 million pieces on an average Monday night.   A large portion of that holiday bump will be stamped greeting cards, deposited in mailboxes and post offices around the country.  In fact, throughout the holiday season, 130 million customers are expected to visit a post office to buy stamps, ship packages or conduct other postal business. 

Here is a planning guide to ways Connecticut post offices reach out to area residents this week as the pace picks up for holiday mail: 

Special Events

December 10:   Mrs. Claus returns to Waterbury's Lakewood Station (797 Lakewood Road) on Wednesday afternoon and to Plaza Station (41 Wigwam Avenue) to demonstrate usps.com online mailing services. 

December 11:  The Connecticut Concert Ballet brings members of The Nutcracker to the Glastonbury Post Office, 145 New London Turnpike, from 4:30 pm and 5:30 pm.  Emily Dylewski, who dances the role of Clara, will join the celebration of this year's Holiday Nutcracker Stamps in a special Greet The Ballerina program staged at that office's Automated Postal Center.  Photographs and autographs are welcome. 

December 12:  Ribbon cutting ceremony for a contracted postal unit at the American Auto Shop, 273 Clarks Falls Road, North Stonington. 
PHOTO OPP:  Local contact:  William Boorsden, North Stonington Postmaster, (860) 535-2871

December 13:  Members of the Greater Hartford Postal Customer Council will provide hands-on instruction to the area's youngest customers on how to address their holiday letters at the Main Post Office in Hartford, 141 Weston Street, from 9 am to 11 am.  The event is free and open to the community.
PHOTO OPP:  Local contact:  Vicki Lincoln, Hartford Postal Customer Relations, 860-524-6039

December 13:  Holiday Passport Acceptance program at the Stratford Postal Store, 411 Barnum Avenue cutoff, in Bridgeport.   For international travels in the New Year, the State Department currently reports passport turnaround time at approximately three weeks. 

December 13 and 14:  On site demonstrations on how to use Automated Postal Centers will be conducted at West Hartford's LaSalle Road postal facility in West Hartford and in the Newington Post Office, from 8 am until 5 pm.  Demonstrations continue after the regular postal window closes and will offer a full Sunday of assistance for seasonal shoppers.

PHOTO OPP:  Local contact:  Vicki Lincoln, Hartford Postal Customer Relations, 860-524-6039 

What is an Automated Postal Center?  

Automated Postal Centers (APCs) in Connecticut began offering this year's Holiday Nutcracker Stamps on December 1st.  This will be the only first class postage stamp dispensed in the kiosks through the month, or until supplies are exhausted. 

The 24-hour self-service stations also offer shipping services and zip code look-ups, with recent upgrades that permit post office box payments.

Automated Postal Centers (APCs) feature a Spanish-language option for all transactions and, in Connecticut, are available in postal lobbies that are open 24 hours each day. 

In addition to West Hartford's LaSalle Road facility and Newington, APCs are located in Bridgeport, Danbury, Enfield, Fairfield, Greenwich (Greenwich Avenue Station, Greenwich Postal Store),  Hamden, Hartford, Glastonbury, Manchester, Milford, New Canaan, New Haven, Newington, Southbury, Stamford, Stratford, and Wilton.

YOU OUGHT TO BE IN PICTURES (stamps):

Now that you've got Billy's class portrait or Fido's photo with Santa in hand, how can you share these with adoring friends and family?  It's not too late to create customized postage for use on holiday cards or as gifts for the New Year.   The Postal Service provides personalized postage in partnership with four vendors:

Zazzle Custom Stamps approval and processing typically takes two to three days after submission of an order. Delivery of finished postage ranges from two to 10 depending on the shipping service option selected at checkout.
http://www.zazzle.com/

Photostamps, offered through stamps.com, recommends that orders be placed no later than December 18 for normal handling and December 22 for rush receipts.  Look for free shipping along with NFL, collegiate logos and NASCAR stamp options.     
http://photo.stamps.com/Store/?source=si10985886

Stamp Expressions, a postage option of Pitney Bowes, prints several personalized stamp denominations, including 27 cent postcard stamps, and options that range from 20 stamps to a roll of 30,000 stamps.
http://www.stampexpressions.com/personalpostage/index.cfm

Endecia's Picture It Postage program prints orders in increments of 20, with 10 stamps on a sheet for gifting.  Turnaround is offered in approximately eight to 10 days, with holiday delivery still possible.   
http://www.pictureitpostage.com/

EH? OLE!  DEADLINES ON THE WAY

If you have friends or family in Canada and Mexico, you need to dash to a nearby mailbox.  But you won't be alone.  First Class mail or Priority Mail International mail headed to Africa, the Pacific Rim, Australia, the Caribbean, Europe and the Middle East, as well as Canada and Mexico, should be mailed by December 11th for on-time holiday deliveries. 

Those who ship to destinations using premium services Global Express Guaranteed or Express Mail International will enjoy one more weekend of shopping along with online postage discounts between eight and 10 percent, as deadlines for those services range as follows:

Those shipping to military addresses outside of Afghanistan and Iraq also are encouraged to mail by the December 11 deadline for Priority Mail packages and first class shipments.  Express Military Mail Service, where available, should be deposited by December 18th for holiday delivery, postal officials report.

Global Express Guaranteed is date-certain shipping to more than 190 countries, with service in one to three business days.  It includes tracking, free packaging and $100 insurance, a money back guarantee and a 10 percent online discount.  Pricing starts at $29.95.   Express Mail International provides delivery within three to five business days, with free packaging and flat rate envelopes, $100 in insurance and eight percent online discounts.   Some money back guarantees apply and prices start at $23.95.

HOLLY, JOLLY BUT NO FOLLY

Interview opportunity:  Please contact Maureen Marion /860 539-0649/ to schedule a radio or print interview with regional public information officers in the Postal Inspection Service. 

In tough times, American consumers are known for their charitable gifts.  And, certainly when dollars need a stretch, great bargains are in demand for family gifts this season as well.

Postal Inspectors say that scammers are aware of this. So, if Postal customers see a deal that looks to good to be true, or are thinking about giving to a relatively unknown charity – check it out, they say. 
They remind consumers of these key points:

• If you're unfamiliar with a charity, ask for its annual report and financial statement. If the organization is not willing to provide these financial documents, you should immediately be suspicious.
• Make checks payable to an organization only--never an individual.
• Be suspicious of solicitors who say they will accept your donation in cash only. (Con artists want cash so there will be no paper trail for authorities to follow.)
• Report any suspicious organizations to your local postmaster or Postal Inspector.

Postal Inspectors serving Connecticut suggest their national website — http://postalinspectors.uspis.gov — and toll free call center — 877-876-2455 or 877-USMAIL5 — for additional information on identifying and reporting mail fraud scams.

In addition, Inspectors recommend these resources:

www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.com     ** includes a special section for teens
www.fakechecks.org
http://www.ftc.gov/

NEXT PLANNING GUIDE:  Busiest day by the numbers, where to find stamps and ship a package this weekend (you'll be surprised), Spanish language services and clearing a path for the busiest delivery days