OMAHA, NE — That knock at the door on Sunday just may be a postal carrier with a holiday package. Beginning Sunday, Nov. 30, Postal Service carriers in 29 Nebraska cities, including Omaha and Council Bluffs, IA, will deliver packages 7 days a week through Christmas (See list below of all cities participating)
“The Postal Service ships more packages to more places than anyone else,” said Omaha Postmaster Keith Reid. “During the holidays, we’re raising the bar with enhanced tracking and Sunday delivery providing excellent service and reliability that only Santa can compete with.”
The Postal Service expects to deliver 470 million packages this holiday season, an increase of 12 percent compared to last year. A similar increase is expected in Nebraska. Reid cites growth in e-commerce and improvements to its Priority Mail product line, including improved tracking and free insurance, for the surge in packages.
“Every household in America relies on us to get their packages home for the holidays and we take great pride in taking on that responsibility,” said Reid. “We’re prepared to do whatever it takes to deliver for our customers.”
Reid reminds customers they likely already have a 24/7 Post Office inside their home or business. He encourages them to skip the trip to the Post Office and ship their packages from the comfort of their home or business at usps.com where this holiday season 75 million customers are expected to print shipping labels at a discount, order free Priority Mail boxes, purchase postage and even request free next-day Package Pickup.
“This is truly our season at the Postal Service, it is crunch time,” said Reid. “We have stepped up our game to assure America that USPS can be counted on to deliver their cards, gifts and letters in time for the holidays.”
Postal Service carriers will deliver packages 7 days a week through Christmas in the following Nebraska cities: Alliance, Beatrice, Bellevue, Bennington, Blair, Columbus, Crete, Elkhorn, Fairbury, Falls City, Fort Calhoun, Fremont, Geneva, Grand Island, Gretna, Hastings, Kearney, Lincoln, Nebraska City, Norfolk, North Platte, Omaha, Scottsbluff, Seward, South Sioux City, Valley, Waterloo, Waverly, York and Council Bluffs, IA.
For expected delivery of holiday mail and packages by Christmas, the Postal Service recommends keeping the following mailing and shipping deadlines in mind:
- Dec. 2 – First-Class Mail International/Priority Mail International
- Dec. 10 – Priority Mail Express International
- Dec. 15 – Standard Post
- Dec. 17 – Global Express Guaranteed
- Dec. 20 – First-Class Mail/Priority Mail (domestic)
- Dec. 23 – Priority Mail Express (domestic)
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. A complete list of the holiday shipping deadlines can be found at usps.com/holidaynews.
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