Southwest Station Offers Sunday Retail Hours for the Holidays

December 17 will be busiest mailing day

SPRINGFIELD, IL — The Post Office retail lobby located at 1760 Wabash Avenue will be open this coming Sunday and next Sunday as well.

Sunday hours during the holiday mailing season will be:

Sunday, December 9, 2007   – 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 16, 2007 – 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Monday, December 17, 2007, is expected to be the busiest Holiday mailing day for the US Postal Service.  Over one-half of a million cards and letters will originate from the Springfield Post Office and receive a December 17 postmark.   Springfield’s total mail volume for December 17 is expected to exceed 2.5 million pieces of mail, almost double the volume for a normal Monday.

Nationwide, the Postal Service expects to deliver 20 billion pieces of mail between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. The season’s busiest mailing day nationwide will see more than 275 million cards and letters enter the mail stream. That’s more than three times the average daily volume of 82 million. Total mail volume — cards, letters, catalogs, packages, magazines — should approach 1 billion on Dec. 17, up from an average daily volume of 703 million pieces.

There is still time to get those holiday cards, letters and packages delivered before December 25. The Postal Service recommends the following mailing dates.  However, only Express Mail has a delivery service guarantee.

Recommended Postal Services Holiday Mailing Dates

• Express Mail – December 22
• Priority Mail – December 20
• First-Class – Cards & Letters: December 20
• Parcel Post –  December 15

HOLIDAY MAIL TIPS / PACKAGING GUIDELINES

• Call 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777) for local post office service hours, rates, ZIP Codes and general holiday mail information. You can also access this information at the USPS website at www.usps.com.
• Print complete name and address and your return name and address on all mail.
• Use box/package strong enough to protect the contents with no marking on outside.
• Do NOT use boxes with alcohol/liquor or chemical markings on the outside.
• Cushion contents with newspaper, bubble wrap, or Styrofoam. Pack very tightly.
• Remove batteries from toys. Wrap/place them next to toys in the mailing box.
• Print the delivery and return addresses neatly on one side only of the package.
• Place your return address on a piece of paper or label inside the package.
• Seal the package securely with nylon-reinforced or glass-reinforced package tape. Do NOT use wrapping paper, string, masking or cellophane tape on outside of box.
• Package senders are encouraged to use Delivery Confirmation and Insurance.
• Do NOT send cash in the mail.  Mail only checks or money orders.