Postal Service releases Hawaii-specific holiday mailing dates

With extended holiday hours of operation, shipping tips and mail volume info

Honolulu — As soon as the last of the Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches are consumed later this week Hawaii residents’ thoughts will likely turn to Christmas shopping and shipping. The Postal Service is happy to assist its customers in that endeavor by providing suggested holiday mailing dates specific to Hawaii, a list of Post Offices that will feature extended hours of operation during the holidays, information about Automated Postal Centers, and holiday mailing tips.

Suggested Mailing Dates
Below are the dates that the Postal Service suggests Hawaii residents mail their letters, cards and packages to give them the best chances of reaching their destinations by Christmas. Note that the dates apply to the mail received by each Post Office’s daily cutoff time.

*     Express Mail military service available to selected military Post Offices. Check with your local Post Office to determine availability.
**    Express Mail international service is available to 190 countries, with delivery in an average of 3-5 business days. Guaranteed, money-back service to Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea.
***  Except Africa and Central America; for those destinations, send First Class/Priority Mail by Dec.1 and Express Mail by Dec. 10.

Postal customers are asked to keep in mind that the above suggested mailing dates are not deadlines, implying that packages or letters will not arrive at their destinations if mailed after the listed dates. In fact, if normal holiday conditions prevail, chances are good that letters and packages sent shortly after the suggested dates will still make it to their destinations before Christmas. Ultimately, uncontrollable factors such as mailing volumes and weather determine whether deliveries can be made early or on time.

Extended Holiday Hours

• Beginning Dec. 13, 23 Post Offices across the state will extend their hours of operation to accommodate the increased holiday mail volume.
• Two of those 23 Post Offices—Ala Moana and Airport—will even be open for business on Sunday Dec. 14. On that day Ala Moana will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Airport from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• The complete list of offices with extended hours follows. Customers can call 1-800-ASK-USPS or go to USPS.com and click on “Locate a Post Office” in the tool bar to determine specific hours of operation of individual offices.
  Airport                                                      
  Ala Moana                                                
  Downtown                                                 
  Ewa Beach
  Hawaii Kai                                                
  Hilo Downtown
  Hilo Main Office
  Kahului
  Kailua
  Kaneohe
  Kapalama
  Lihue
  Makawao
  Makiki
  Mililani
  Pearl City
  Pukalani
  Wahiawa
  Waialae-Kahala
  Waianae
  Waikiki
  Wailuku
  Waipahu

Automated Postal Centers
The self-service Automated Postal Centers (APCs) allow customers to purchase stamps, print and pay for postage for packages, and conduct other common transactions without the need to stand in line to see a mail clerk--an all-too-frequent necessity during holiday mailing season. Perhaps most important, customers can access the APCs 24/7, at times that are convenient to them. The Hawaii APCs are located outside or in the service lobbies of the 18 Post Offices below:
Aina Haina                   
Airport                          
Ala Moana                    
Downtown.                   
Hawaii Kai                    
Hilo Main Office
Kailua                          
Kailua-Kona                  
Kaneohe                      
Kihei
Lahaina
Makiki
Mililani
Moiliili
Waialae-Kahala
Waikiki
Wailuku
Waipahu

Mailing Tips
Here are some time- and money-saving tips to help make the holidays a little brighter:

• Save $$$ with FLAT RATE BOXES: Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes are the best deal around. Customers can send up to 70 pounds in Flat Rate boxes to domestic locations for only $9.80. An even better deal is the new Large Flat Rate box, which holds 50 percent more (with the same 70-pound limit) for only $12.95. And, to support our military troops overseas, up to 70 pounds can be shipped in the military Large Flat Rate box to APO and FPO locations for only $10.95.
• Save $$$ with ONLINE DISCOUNTS: Pay for your postage and print out your mailing label at USPS.com and save up to 11 percent off of over-the-counter rates and receive FREE Delivery Confirmation. Discounted rates are available for Priority, Express and International mailings. Examples: Regular Flat Rate boxes sent domestically are $9.30; Large Flat Rate boxes sent domestically are $12.50; military APO/FPO Large Flat Rate boxes are $10.50.
• FREE package pickup: Skip the trip to the Post Office during the holidays. After printing out the mailing labels for your packages at USPS.com, notify us at usps.com/pickup that they’re ready to be picked up. Your carrier will be alerted and will pick up your packages from your home or office, usually the next business day. There is no extra charge for this service.
• FREE packaging: Priority Mail and Express Mail envelopes and packages, including Flat Rate boxes, are available for FREE at your local Post Office.

Mail Volume
The Postal Service expects to deliver 19 billion pieces of mail between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, with the busiest mailing day anticipated to be Monday, Dec. 15. Total mail volume nationally for the busiest day should approach 1 billion pieces. The Postal Service estimates that about 8 million pieces of mail will be processed at the Honolulu Processing & Distribution Center on that day, a 29 percent increase over the typical non-holiday mail volume. The busiest delivery day in Hawaii is projected to be Monday, Dec. 22.