TOPEKA, KS – More than 4.3 million cards, letters and packages are expected to be mailed in Kansas on Monday, Dec. 19, the busiest mailing day of the year; that’s 180,000 pieces per hour, 3,000 per minute, or 50 per second. Nationwide, 611 million pieces of mail, 7,000 per second, are expected on the busiest day.

Fully-staffed Post Offices will greet customers, and postal managers will be in lobbies on Dec. 19 to answer questions and provide assistance.

“The best advice I can give customers is to mail early and conveniently,” said Topeka Postmaster Sheryl Stark.

To make mailing those holiday packages easier, eight Kansas postal locations will have Sunday retail hours on Dec.18:

• Topeka Gage Station, 1430 SW Woodhull St. – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Wichita Downtown Station, 330 W. 2nd St., 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Dodge City Post Office, 700 Central Ave. – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Emporia Post Office, 625 Merchant St. – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Hutchinson Post Office, 128 E. First Ave. – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Independence Post Office, 116 E. Laurel St. – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Junction City Post Office, 307 W. 7th St. -- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Manhattan Post Office, 500 Leavenworth St. – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Those looking to avoid the crowds, and save some time, are encouraged to ship from home for the holidays at usps.com where more than 3 million customers are expected to print postage-paid shipping labels and request a free pickup of their packages.

In addition to the nearly 575 Post Offices in Kansas, there are also 10 full-service Contract Postal Units, and hundreds of locations to purchase stamps. To find the nearest postal location, call 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777) or go to usps.com and click on “Find USPS Locations.”

This holiday season is expected to be a record-breaker for packages with Postal Service carriers delivering 750 million holiday packages nationwide, a 12 percent increase from last year and double the number of holiday packages delivered just four years ago.

Kansas postal carriers are projected to deliver a record 4.6 million packages this holiday season, a 12 percent increase compared to last year.

Virtually all larger Post Offices in Kansas, and across the country, are delivering packages seven days a week through Christmas, and some smaller Post Offices as well where package volumes merit.

Postal customers are encouraged to go to myusps.com to sign up for real time text and email notifications of the status of their packages. If a package doesn’t fit in the mailbox and the customer won’t be home to receive it, the customer can provide delivery instructions online and authorize the carrier to leave it in a specified location, with a neighbor, or choose to pick it up at the Post Office.

Thursday, Dec. 22 is expected to be the busiest delivery day of the year for packages with more than 30 million packages being delivered.

Mail-by Dates

Holiday cards and packages destined for military addresses in Iraq/Afghanistan/Middle East should have been in the mail by Dec. 2. Priority Mail Express Military Service is available to all other military addresses and should be mailed no later than Dec. 16. To help the families and friends of U.S. military personnel, the USPS offers a $2 discount on its largest Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes.

It’s not too late to reach international destinations when using either Priority Mail Express International or Global Express Guaranteed Service.

Suggested mail-by dates for cards and packages destined for U.S. addresses are: Dec. 20 for First-Class Mail, Dec. 21 for Priority Mail, and Dec. 23 for Priority Mail Express.

Mailing tips, mail-by dates and more can be found online at usps.com/holiday.

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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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at about.usps.com/news/welcome.htm.

More USPS holiday news, including shipping deadlines and Santa mail, can be found at usps.com/holidaynews.

For reporters interested in speaking with a regional Postal Service public relations professional, please go to about.usps.com/news/media-contacts/usps-local-media-contacts.pdf. Follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/usps), Instagram (instagram.com/uspostalservice), Pinterest (pinterest.com/uspsstamps), LinkedIn (linkedin.com/company/usps), subscribe to our channel on YouTube (youtube.com/usps), like us on Facebook (facebook.com/usps) and view our Postal Postsblog (uspsblog.com).

For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and usps.com/postalfacts.