CLEARFIELD – During the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, the foot traffic in the U.S. Postal Service Clearfield office increases. With the holiday’s quick arrival, the post office knows the importance to get a package delivered by Christmas time.
“The state of the post office is, in a word, ‘busy!’” said Christine Stom, postmaster of the Clearfield office. “We see an overall increase of 30-40 percent of mail during this time of year. The weekend after Thanksgiving is traditionally our beginning of the Holiday mailing season, and indications from the shopping weekend are we will have a very busy December.”
We know from experience that 20 percent or more of what was bought this weekend from either a store or online will need to be shipped, Stom said. She said they also refer to themselves modestly as the “Official Shipper of the Holidays.”
“The U.S. Postal Service expects to deliver 16.5 billion cards, letters and packages between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve this holiday season,” Stom said, “This is slightly up from last year and the Clearfield Post Office has seen an increase in foot traffic. Lines are forming more frequently and I urge customers to not wait until the last minute to make sure that great gift reaches the recipient in time.”
Any questions about deadlines or postal rates can be directed to the U.S. Postal Service Clearfield office at 765-5671.
Here are some cut-off dates from the U.S. Postal Service in order for a package to reach its destination by Christmas.
December 3: Military mail destined for Iraq or Afghanistan
December 10: Military mail for other overseas bases
December 15: Parcel post, the most economical shipping service
December 20: First Class Mail
December 21: Priority Mail
December 22: Express Mail