Post Offices across Arizona are offering special weekend retail hours at certain locations to help make customers’ holiday shipping tasks a bit more convenient.

The following Post Office locations will offer special extended holiday retail hours on Saturdays before Christmas – Dec. 4, Dec. 11, and Dec. 18.

The Postal Service recommends the following mailing and shipping deadlines for expected delivery by Dec. 25 to Air/Army Post Office/Fleet Post Office/Diplomatic Post Office (APO/FPO/DPO) and domestic addresses:

• Dec. 9 — APO/FPO/DPO (all ZIP Codes) Priority Mail and First-Class Mail
• Dec. 15 — USPS Retail Ground service
• Dec. 17 — First-Class Mail service (including greeting cards)
• Dec. 17 — First-Class packages (up to 15.99 ounces)
• Dec. 18 — Priority Mail service
• Dec. 23 — Priority Mail Express service

Millions of cards, letters, and packages move through mail processing facilities in Arizona every day, and that number rises during the holidays. As part of the PMG’s Delivering for America plan, USPS has installed more than 100 processing machines and hired thousands of employees nationwide to process and deliver the more than 12 billion pieces of mail and packages expected this holiday season between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.

The Postal Service has 644,000 employees dedicated to ensuring gifts and greetings are delivered in time for the holidays. The busiest time of the season peaks two weeks before Christmas, when much of the last-minute shopping starts. Customer traffic is increasing now, with the week of Dec. 13-18 predicted to be the busiest mailing, shipping, and delivery week.

Consumers don’t have to leave home to ship their packages. In these socially distant times, they can simply visit usps.com or use the Click-N-Ship feature for help shipping that holiday gift, ordering free Priority Mail boxes, printing shipping labels, purchasing postage and even requesting free next-day Package Pickup. And usps.com is always open.

The Postal Service generally 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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