WASHINGTON —  If you plan on snapping up bargains on Black Friday — and according to a recent survey by the National Retail Federation, more than half of all consumers (51.8 percent) plan to — don’t forget the Postal Service offers unmatched value and convenience to get your holiday packages to their destination. From free Priority Mail Boxes to super savings on shipping with Click-N-Ship at usps.com, the Postal Service will ensure this is the Best Holiday Ever!

“Everyone is always looking for a bargain during the holidays, and the Postal Service remains the best shipping value in the market,” said Gary Reblin, vice president, Domestic Products. “As always, we don’t impose fuel surcharges, hidden surcharges or charge extra for Saturday delivery.”

Customers placing orders by Dec. 3 will receive the flat-rate boxes in time to meet the Dec. 21 holiday deadline for shipping Priority Mail packages. Box orders are delivered to a customer’s home or business address in 7 to 10 days.
Click-N-Ship – an online postage service offered by the United States Postal Service – allows you to create pre-paid shipping labels for certain mail classes — including Priority Mail, Express Mail, Express Mail International, Priority Mail International and Global Express Guarantee — using your own PC and printer.

And since more and more people are accessing the Internet from mobile devices, the Postal Service has made sure customers’ experiences on their smart phones are convenient and user-friendly. The USPS mobile app is available on the iPhone®, Android™ and BlackBerry®  for users to track and confirm a package, locate a Post Office and look up a Zip Code more quickly and easily.

Most importantly, customers should be aware that the first residential delivery deadline is just two weeks away. Reblin stressed that mailing early is key and advised customers to take note of these important
mailing deadlines:

MAIL-BY-DATES          

• Dec. 3   Priority Mail International
• Dec. 11 Express Mail International
• Dec. 14 Parcel Post
• Dec. 20 First-Class Mail
• Dec. 21  Priority Mail
• Dec. 22  Express Mail

As you check off your holiday gift list this season, here are some helpful tips to make sure your gifts arrive safely:

• Remove batteries from toys and other electronic devices. Wrap and place them next to the item in the mailing box. Customers should include the new batteries in the manufacturer’s packaging.
• Place a card inside the package that contains both the delivery and return addresses. This ensures the safe return of an item that could not be delivered should the mailing label become damaged or fall off.
• Include both “to” and “from” information on packages — and only on one side.
• Always use a return address, which tells the Postal Service where to return mail that cannot be delivered.
• Select a box that is strong enough to protect the contents.
• Do not reuse mailing boxes as they can weaken in the shipping process.
• Stuff glass and fragile, hollow items, like vases, with newspaper or packing material to avoid damage.
• When mailing framed photographs, take the glass out of the frame and wrap it separately.

“The Postal Service expects to deliver a record amount of packages this holiday season, so the best advice is plan ahead and mail early,” said Reblin.

For more information on mailing and shipping services this holiday season, please visit www.usps.com/cheer.

The U.S. 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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A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation — 151 million residences, businesses and Post Office™ Boxes. The Postal Service™ receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com®, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 35th in the 2011 Fortune 500. In 2011, Oxford Strategic Consulting ranked the U.S. Postal Service number one in overall service performance of the posts in the top 20 wealthiest nations in the world. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for six years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.

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