Part and parcel of every holiday season is our dependence on various mail and package delivery businesses so that all those parts and parcels get to far-flung family and friends on time.
Whether you’re looking to send that last bunch of holiday cards or a package to a relative living in another part of the world, it pays to know how each service works and how to best prepare your parcel for mailing.
Here’s a guide to getting all your holiday mailing done.
– U.S. Postal System
Tim Ratliff, a communications specialist for the Northern Illinois District of the U.S. Postal Service says consumers should explore the expanded services their local post office provides.
“We’ll be offering extended hours of service this year as we have in the past,” Ratliff said. “Most medium- to larger-sized towns will have their local post office open during the weekends before Christmas. Residents might wish to call their local post office to be absolutely sure.”
On Saturday, Dec. 13 and 20, offices will remain open until 4 p.m.; offices will also be open on Sunday, Dec. 14 and 21 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
A number of new products are available for consumers, along with specialized packaging for various popular items.
Three sizes of decorated boxes, ranging from 6-by-9-by-3 inches up to 12-by-17-by-3 inches sell for $2.50 to $3.95. Padded bags for smaller items start at 6-by-10 inches for 80 cents up to a 14-by-20-inch size for $2.75. Mailing tubes come in two- and three-foot lengths and sell for $2.30 and $2.55.
New this year through a special partnership with the Hallmark company are Holiday Traditions cards and products produced exclusively for the post office. A boxed set of cards sells for $9.95. There are also mailing labels (95 cents), envelopes ($5.50 a pack), and matching stamps. “We’re providing everything a person needs to send his holiday mail,” Ratliff said. “With the decorative containers, cards and stamps, it’s a great way to get two-to-three things done at once.”
Surface mail is the least expensive way to send packages, but Ratliff says they should be mailed up to six weeks before Christmas to guarantee delivery.
“Domestic mail is expected to adhere to the same standards as those we maintain during the rest of the year,” Ratliff said. First-class mail is expected to take one to three days, and packages sent priority mail should arrive in two to three days. Extra collection runs have been ordered by the post office, which Ratliff says will help customers–especially if they mail early in the day.
The best deal through the postal system is priority mail, using the flat-rate envelope. Any amount of material that fits into the package will be charged at a standard two-pound rate, regardless of the envelope’s actual weight. The cost is $3.
Express Mail provides the fastest service. It offers guaranteed overnight delivery 365 days a year, with delivery between noon and 3 p.m. the next day. On-demand pickup service can be requested by calling 800-222-1811. Mailing containers (envelopes, boxes or tubes) plus mailing labels are supplied at no extra charge.
For more information, check out the post office Web site www.usps.gov.
– United Postal Service
Many mailing services use UPS for delivering your packages. If time permits, UPS ground service is usually the best deal. “Packages normally arrive the next business day if the address is local,” says Suzanne Erickson, president of Pack ‘N Send in Schaumburg. “In fact, you can pretty much get next-day service within the five-state-area around Illinois.”
Weight and distance are two factors that control the cost of shipping with UPS. A 20-pound box sent to one of the neighboring states of Illinois will run $9.15; move out about 500 miles and the price increases to $11.43; reach 1,000 miles and it becomes $13.
UPS assumes responsibility for deliveries; they can also track each package’s location in the delivery route. Check out www.ups.com. or phone 800-PICKUPS.
Insuring packages for extra protection isn’t a bad idea, particularly at Christmas, when volume increases. Insurance is included in the shipping cost for parcels worth $100 or less. UPS charges about 80 cents to insure each additional $100 worth of merchandise.
– Federal Express
The major difference between this and other services is that there is no ground service involved; every parcel is shipped by air, which means faster delivery and often a higher cost.
Federal Express offers customers four basic options: Priority service, standard service, second-day service and a new “express saver” option.
“All of these services depend upon the zip code you’re sending something to, as far as delivery times go,” said Larry Ridpath, owner of The Mail Works in Naperville. “For local metro delivery, priority service delivers by 10:30 a.m. the next day; standard delivers by 3 p.m., and second-day service is guaranteed by 7 p.m. on the second day.”
Ridpath says prices vary with weight, destination and time of arrival, but he offers these ballpark estimates: “Using percentages, assume that priority will cost you 100 percent of the fees to send a parcel; standard delivery drops the cost to 90 percent, second-day to 50 percent, and the express saver option 40 percent,” he said.
Pack ‘N Send’s Erickson says for cost comparisons, a five-pound package delivered locally would cost $35.80 for overnight delivery, with the second-day option dropping the cost to $19.20, and express saver down to $17.
“Federal Express is the most expensive way to go, but sometimes time is a real factor,” said Jim Dombroski, owner of Mail Boxes, Etc. in Carol Stream.
Any of the mail services will usually advise you as to the best and cheapest method to ship an item.
“People bring in an item; we put it on a scale, punch in the zip code and read U.S. Post Office, UPS and Federal Express options,” says Crystal Portis, a shipper for Mail ‘N Stuff in Glen Ellyn. “Most people choose the cheapest option.”
