Barrigada – Now that the calendar has turned to December, Guam residents’ thoughts have turned to shopping and holiday gift shipping.

The Postal Service is happy to assist its customers with those efforts by providing suggested holiday mailing dates specific to Guam and holiday mailing tips.

Suggested Mailing Dates for Guam residents
Below are the dates that the Postal Service suggests Guam residents mail their letters, cards and packages to give them the best chances of reaching their destinations by Christmas. Note that the dates apply to the mail received by each Post Office’s daily cutoff time.

Dates apply to mail received by each Post Office’s cutoff time.

Postal customers are asked to keep in mind that the above suggested mailing dates are not deadlines, implying that packages or letters will not arrive at their destinations if mailed after the listed dates. In fact, if normal holiday conditions prevail, chances are good that letters and packages sent shortly after the suggested dates will still make it to their destinations before Christmas. Ultimately, unpredictable factors such as mailing volumes and weather determine whether deliveries can be made early or on time.

No Holiday Surcharges
The Postal Service is providing its customers with an early Christmas gift this year: No holiday shipping surcharges! In past years, USPS followed industry standards and temporarily adjusted its prices for the holidays. For most packages the temporary surcharge was between 25 and 75 cents. USPS eliminated the surcharge in order to provide its customers with the most affordable way to ship their gifts this holiday season.

Package Pickup Hours Extended
Due to set transportation schedules, USPS facilities in Guam will not be changing their retail hours during the holidays. But every office will be ramping up support for their package pickup operations--including the addition of Sunday pickup hours at the Barrigada Post Office--in an effort to ensure that incoming Christmas packages are delivered to Guam residents as quickly as possible. Below are the package pickup hours for Guam postal facilities from now until Dec. 31.

Barrigada package pickup hours

• Weekdays - 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
• Saturdays - 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• Sundays - 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Hagatna package pickup hours (blue door)

• Weekdays - 7:00 to 8:30 a.m.
• Saturdays - 7:00 to 8:30 a.m. & 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
• Sundays - Closed

Tamuning package pickup hours (side door)

• Weekdays - 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.
• Saturdays - 10:00 a.m. to noon
• Sundays - Closed

Andersen AFB package pickup hours

• Weekdays - 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. & 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.
• Saturdays - Closed
• Sundays - Closed

Naval Station package pickup hours

• Weekdays - 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Saturdays - Closed
• Sundays - Closed

Mailing Tips
Here are some time- and money-saving tips to help make the holidays a little brighter:

• Save $$$ with FLAT RATE BOXES: Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes are the best deal around. Customers can send up to 70 pounds in Medium Flat Rate Boxes to domestic locations for only $17.10 An even better deal is the Large Flat Rate Box, which holds 50 percent more (with the same 70-pound limit) for only $22.80. And, to support our military troops overseas, up to 70 pounds can be shipped in the military Large Flat Rate Box to most APO and FPO locations for only $21.20.
• Save time; Use USPS.com: Pay for your postage and print out your mailing label at USPS.com. After printing out the mailing labels you can also drop off your prepaid packages at a Post Office without waiting in line.
• FREE insurance: All Priority Mail and Priority Express envelopes and boxes now include day-specific delivery, improved tracking and FREE insurance.
• FREE packaging: Priority Mail envelopes and boxes and Priority Express envelopes are available for FREE at your local Post Office.
• Express Mail on Christmas Day: The Postal Service delivers Express Mail on Christmas Day in major U.S. metropolitan areas. Ask your local postal clerk to determine whether this option is available for your holiday packages.

Busiest Week
The peak of the holiday shipping rush begins two weeks before Christmas. We expect customer traffic at our post offices to accelerate beginning the week of Dec. 11, and that the week of Dec. 18 will be our busiest week of the season.

Holiday How-Tos
The Postal Service offers video tutorials providing useful information on How to Pack and How to Ship.

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