Nov. 19, 2021

A Day in the Life of a San Francisco Collections Driver

City Carrier loads up a heap of packages in time for USPS Peak Season

What:

In a city as bustling as San Francisco it takes a team of carriers to help collect every package to be processed through our vast network.

Shadow a USPS San Francisco Collections Carrier during the Holiday Peak Season. The carrier will demonstrate the packages and mail they load from businesses and collection boxes across the city during the Postal Service’s busiest season, offering suggestions for safe and efficient receipt of mail.

The carrier will also provide insights into their years of service and personal stories of how the busiest season is also the most rewarding season for USPS employees.

Who:

Letter Carrier Jose Gorospe, U.S. Postal Service

When:

November 23, 2021

Where:

San Francisco Post Office
1300 Evans Ave
San Francisco, CA 94188

PLEASE RSVP SO WE CAN COORDINATE A TIME AND LOCATION OF THE CARRIER.

Background:

In the spirit of the holiday season, Jose will be providing insight into his job as a San Francisco Carrier for the collections unit.

Like many new postal employees Jose comes to the USPS as his second career after serving many years in the restaurant industry he has brought his professional service experience to the Postal Service.

He will give viewers and readers the opportunity to see the First-Mile of their mail delivery from pick-up to the processing facility.

Busiest Mailing and Delivery Days

The busiest time of the year begins two weeks before Christmas. It’s expected that customer traffic at all Post Office locations will steadily increase beginning the week of Dec. 6. The week of Dec. 13-18 is anticipated to be the busiest mailing, shipping and delivery week. Additionally, the Postal Service predicts that nearly 2.3 billion pieces of First-Class Mail, including greeting cards and packages, will be processed and delivered the week of Dec. 13.

Skip the Trip and Ship Online

Consumers don’t have to leave home to ship their packages. They can visit usps.com for available at-home shipping options. It’s estimated nearly 500,000 consumers will use the Click-N-Ship feature and other online services on Dec. 14 to order free Priority Mail boxes*, print shipping labels, purchase postage and request free next-day Package Pickup.

Dec. 19 is predicted to be the Postal Service’s busiest day online with more than 12.5 million consumers expected to visit usps.com for help shipping that special holiday gift. And usps.com is always open.

More tips for a successful holiday mailing and shipping season:

  • Use free Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes. They are available at Post Office locations or online at usps.com/freeboxes.
  • Make it easy with the Click-N-Ship feature. You can create shipping labels and pay for postage online at usps.com/ship.
  • Schedule a free Package Pickup when the carrier delivers your mail. It’s free regardless of the number of packages. Pickups can be scheduled at usps.com/pickup.
  • Mail and packages that weigh more than 10 ounces or are more than a half-inch thick and using stamps as postage cannot be dropped into a collection box or left for a carrier to pick up. Instead, take them to a local Post Office.

2021 Holiday Shipping Deadlines

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. 17 — First-Class Mail service (including greeting cards)
  • Dec. 18 — Priority Mail service
  • Dec. 23 — Priority Mail Express* service

Additional news and information, including all domestic, international and military mailing and shipping deadlines, can be found on the Postal Service Holiday Newsroom at usps.com/holidaynews.

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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