APPLETON, Wis. — Billions of packages and pieces of mail are shipped during the holiday season. The United States Postal Service (USPS) shipped over 11 billion last year.

That’s why major shippers such as USPS, FedEx and UPS want you to start mailing your packages now, as important holiday shipping deadlines are fast approaching.

What You Need To Know

  • In 2022, the Postal Service processed more than 11.7 billion mailpieces and packages during the holiday season

  • During the peak holiday season, running Nov. 29 through Dec. 30, UPS expects to deliver an average of 32 million packages 

  • UPS and FedEx dominate the U.S. doorstep delivery sector with a share of almost 50% and combined annual revenue of $191 billion

Morgan De Leon is an employee at The UPS Store in Appleton. She has been putting together more and more boxes to ship goods since Thanksgiving. De Leon said the two weeks before Christmas are the busiest.

“We start getting a lot of rushes, which means usually we’re out the door and around the corner,” De Leon explained.

De Leon said during the holidays, she and her coworkers are taping up hundreds of packages every day.

“Anywhere from 700 to 800, possibly more,” De Leon said.

The USPS, FedEx and UPS all have ground shipping deadlines this week. De Leon said doing your holiday shipping now can save you some money later.

“We can do your Next Day Air, we can do your Second Day Air, but absolutely the most cost-effective way to get your packages out this time of year is going to be UPS Ground,” De Leon added.

Customer Christy Powers sent a Keurig to her family out west. Powers said she’s shipping now to save money, but mainly to avoid holiday crowds.

“I’m so glad that I don’t have to spend a lot of time waiting in lines. They are so good about getting people out fast and efficiently here and I love it,” Powers said.

De Leon said they will have multiple employees to help speed things up. She also said there are some things you can do to spend less time in line.

“You want to make sure it’s all packaged very nicely, so it’s not going to roll around in those boxes. Just have your addresses ready and come on in and we’ll help you with the rest,” De Leon said.

There’s one other thing De Leon said customers should bring: patience. The UPS Store’s holiday lines will move fast but could be long.

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