TAMPA, FL — The U.S. Postal Service is prepared for the holiday season and will offer extended retail hours at many locations. Whether customers need to ship it quickly or have plenty of time, the Postal Service has an option that will make shipping convenient and affordable.

Extended Retail Hours: Postal facilities throughout the Suncoast District are either opening and/or extended their hours leading up to Christmas Day. Those designated offices will provide full retail services, including stamp sales and package acceptance. Locations with extended hours are listed below. In addition, several Suncoast District Post Offices not listed already offer retail hours on Saturdays and after 5 p.m. Customers can check usps.com/Find Locations and/or call 1.800.ASK.USPS for hours at specific Post Offices.

Busiest Mailing and Delivery Days

Thanks to more people shopping earlier and shopping online, the Postal Service’s “busiest day” notion is now a thing of the past. Instead, the Postal Service now has a busiest time, and it starts two weeks before Christmas. Beginning the week of Dec. 10, customer traffic is expected to increase and the Postal Service expects to deliver nearly 200 million packages per week during these two weeks. The week of Dec. 17-23 is predicted to be the busiest mailing, shipping and delivery week. During this week alone, the Postal Service expects to process and deliver nearly 3 billion pieces of First-Class Mail, including greeting cards.

2018 Christmas Shipping Deadlines

For delivery in anticipation of Christmas, the Postal Service recommends keeping the following mailing and shipping deadlines in mind:

• Dec. 11    – APO/FPO/DPO (all other ZIP Codes) Priority Mail and First-Class Mail
• Dec. 14    – USPS Retail Ground
• Dec. 18    – APO/FPO/DPO (except ZIP Code 093) USPS Priority Mail Express®
• Dec. 20    – First-Class Mail (including greeting cards)
• Dec. 20    – First-class packages (up to 15.99 ounces)
• Dec. 20   –  Hawaii to mainland Priority Mail and First-Class Mail
• Dec. 20    – Priority Mail
• Dec. 20    – Alaska to mainland Priority Mail and First-Class Mail
• Dec. 22    – Alaska to mainland Priority Mail Express
• Dec. 22    – Hawaii to mainland Priority Mail Express
• Dec. 22    – Priority Mail Express

*Not a guarantee, unless otherwise noted. Dates are for estimated delivery before December 25. Actual delivery date may vary depending on origin, destination, Post Office acceptance date and time and other conditions. Some restrictions apply. For Priority Mail Express® shipments mailed December 22 through December 25, the money-back guarantee applies only if the shipment was not delivered, or delivery was not attempted, within two (2) business days.

Skip the Trip and Ship Online

Consumers don’t even have to leave home to ship their packages, simply visit usps.com. The Postal Service anticipates Dec. 17 will be the Postal Service’s busiest day online with more than 8 million consumers predicted to visit usps.com for help shipping that special holiday gift. It’s predicted that nearly 105 million consumers will visit the USPS website between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. And usps.comis always open.

It’s estimated nearly 400,000 consumers will use the Click-N-Ship® feature and other online services on Dec. 17 to order free Priority Mail boxes, print shipping labels, purchase postage and even request free next-day Package Pickup.

New for this Year

Packages and cards have been sent on time, now what? USPS Informed Delivery™ is the Postal Service’s free daily digital preview of what’s coming to your mailbox. This holiday season, not only can you manage your packages and sneak a peek at cards headed your way, you can also see some exterior images of magazines and catalogs — all from your mobile app, dashboard, tablet or computer. Informed Delivery™ is one more way the Postal Service is helping you anticipate, communicate and celebrate this holiday season.

Additional news and information, including all domestic, international and military mailing and shipping deadlines, can be found at the Postal Service Holiday Newsroom: usps.com/holidaynews.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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