Utah Post Offices: Save Fuel This Yule

Mailing is easy with Click-N-Ship, Free Package Pickup, Automated Postal Centers

Put down the car keys and do yourself and the environment a favor – ship from home this holiday season. Not only will you save some precious gas and time, you’ll also enjoy discounts of up to 11 percent off regular Post Office prices.

To kickoff the holiday mailing season, a postal employee will be in the lobby of every Utah Post Office from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Dec. 2, to greet customers and inform them how they can save fuel this yule by mailing from home or business. Three locations will offer customers online shipping demonstrations, including the Salt Lake Main Post Office, 1760 West 2100 South; Salt Lake Downtown Station, 230 West 200 South; and the Provo Main Post Office, 95 West 100 South. Santa will be at the Salt Lake Main Post Office from 10 a.m. to noon, to demonstrate how to use the Automated Postal Center, and to share holiday mailing tips.

“We want holiday shoppers to know that when it’s time to send those gifts, they can do it all online in the comfort of their home,” said USPS Salt Lake District Manager Ken McArthur.

Using Click-N-Ship at usps.com, customers can print postage-paid mailing labels for Express Mail, Priority Mail and International Mail, apply them to packages, and request a free package pickup the next day by their letter carrier. Delivery Confirmation, a 65-cent value, is free when mailing online.

The Postal Service offers three sizes of free eco-friendly flat-rate boxes that take the weight and distance out of mailing. Using a Large Priority Mail Flat Rate box (12" x 12" x 5 ½"), customers can ship up to 70 pounds, to any U.S. location for $12.95 ($12.50 with online discount). And there’s a $2 discount when shipping the large flat rate box to an Army Post Office (APO) or Fleet Post Office (FPO) address. All flat-rate boxes can also be used for international shipping. The flat-rate boxes are available at any Post Office, by phone at 1-800-527-1950, and online at usps.com/shop.

Customers are also encouraged to use Automated Postal Centers (APC), located in the lobbies of 29 Utah Post Offices, which allow customers to purchase stamps, and weigh and mail cards and packages 24 hours a day, seven days a week, using their debit or credit cards.

Don’t have access to the internet? Buy your stamps by phone at 1-800-Stamp-24 (1-800-782-6724), or by mail — ask your clerk or letter carrier for a form.

Holiday military mail deadlines are Dec. 4 for mail destined for Iraq or Afghanistan; and Dec. 11 to other international destinations.

Holiday international mail deadlines are Dec. 4 for Priority Mail going to Africa and Central and South America, and Dec. 11 for all other countries. Using Global Express Guaranteed Service, international mail can be sent as late as Dec. 19. Within the U.S., customers are encouraged to use Priority Mail through Dec. 20, and Express Mail through Dec. 23.