Stormy Weekend Not Likely to Ice Upstate's Busiest Mailing Days

Automated Postal Centers, Contracted Units Shower 1,562 More Hours To Buy Holiday Stamps, Ship Packages This Week

HARTFORD —Santa can use Rudolph to guide his sleigh in bad weather.  But, this weekend, postal customers across the Capital Region and into parts of Central New York used common sense instead.  

After severe weekend weather this weekend kept many holiday shoppers and shippers close to home, postal officials in some areas are trimming expectations for tonight's traditional busiest mailing night of the year.  Upstate postal officials, however, expect a traditional fast pace.

"We know that families coping with significant ice or days without power may not be thinking about holiday shipping or cards today.  But local post offices are ready to assist local residents throughout the week," said Connecticut's District Manager, Edward F. Phelan Jr. "We also have mailing services available in 50 postal lobbies and community locations where customers combine postal errands with other activities."

In Connecticut, there are 218 post offices with more than 80 postal stations and branches providing regular postal hours throughout the week and into next weekend.

**  Editor's Note:  PHOTO OPP:  Offices that will host Meet And Greet for the Postmaster or Station Manager today, December 15,  include:  Hamden, New Haven (multiple sites), East Haven, West Haven, Bridgeport, Stamford, Danbury and Fair Haven with Mrs. Claus greeting customers in Waterbury

In addition, there are 31 contracted postal units operating as virtually full-service post offices inside established businesses. Twelve opened in 2008, making this their first holiday season with postal services.    There are also 19 Automated Postal Centers, located in 24-hour postal lobbies around the state.  Together, said Phelan, these will provide an additional 1,562 hours of postal services through Friday. 

Automated Postal Centers (APCs) provide the 2008 Holiday Nutcracker Stamps along with shipping services and zip code look-ups.   Automated Postal Centers offer a Spanish-language option for all transactions and many will provide hands-on assistance at peak times this week.   

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

A Contract Postal Unit is a Post Office that is located inside a retail establishment and operated by the retailer’s employees. CPUs provide postal services to remote, under-served, and seasonal locations where traditional post offices are not available or are over burdened.

A Contract Postal Unit can be supplier-owned or supplier-leased site operated by the supplier. It is operated under contract to the Postal Service to provide postal services to the public.

Nationwide, estimates for the number of postmarks that will be applied to the mail on the busiest mailing day of 2008 exceed 950 million, more than 250 million more postmarks than an average Monday. 

Postmarking operations for stamped letters and cards could top the three million mark in Connecticut, if weather woes from the weekend do not cut into typical mailing practices, said Mr. Phelan.

Through the holiday season, postal officials anticipate processing more than 19 billion cards, letters and packages this year.

"Of course, as we get out from under this storm, please remember to clear the way for your letter carrier," added Mr. Phelan.    "We are daily visitors to your home and your mailbox.  This time of year, the weather is unpredictable, the daylight is short and our load is heavy.  We appreciate your assistance in delivering a path to mailbox that is clear for a safe delivery."