RICHMOND, VA — The Richmond District of the U.S. Postal Service, which encompasses the majority of the State of Virginia (excluding Northern Virginia and Southwest Virginia), today announced that the Richmond Main Post Office at 1801 Brook Road will offer extended retail window hours on Saturday, December 20, 2014, to accommodate last-minute mailers. This office will be open from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. – an additional two hours.  December 20th is the last day to send First-Class Mail (such as cards and letters) and Priority Mail (domestically) with an expectation of delivery in time for Christmas. Priority Mail Express may be sent as late as December 23rd and delivery is available on Christmas Day for an additional fee. Your retail associate can provide additional information on this.

The Post Offices shown in the chart below will be observing their normal Wednesday hours of operation on Wednesday, December 24th (Christmas Eve) and Wednesday, December 31st (New Year’s Eve). Post Offices not listed will close at 12 noon on the Eves. Please check www.usps.com or your local Post Office for a door sign if you are unsure.

A special arrangement has been made to accommodate customers in  the Fredericksburg area:

Customers are invited to visit www.usps.com where many products and services can be obtained from the comfort of their home or office.  From this site Priority Mail and Priority Express Mail supplies can be shipped directly to customers free of charge; stamps can be purchased and delivered by the carrier; postage can be printed and requests for package pick-up can be made without the need to drive anywhere. Self-Service Kiosks are available in 29 locations throughout the Richmond District, and by using a debit or credit card, almost any service that can be transacted at the retail window can be obtained at the kiosk before, during or after lobby hours.

USPS is asking customers to mail early in the day (before 1 p.m.) and early in the season. Special early collections of mail from Post Offices and blue boxes will get holiday mail into the processing environment earlier and on its way sooner.

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