The United States Postal Service (USPS) is implementing significant changes at its Avondale, Arizona facility to address anticipated delivery delays during the busy holiday season. With the Christmas period approaching, USPS has introduced advanced machinery designed to expedite package processing and ensure timely deliveries.
According to USPS spokesperson Sherry Patterson, the new technology aims to facilitate the increased volume of holiday mail. “It’s the holiday season! It’s the time where people are shopping and getting ready for the holiday,” Patterson stated in an interview with Fox News affiliate KSZA-TV. The new system allows USPS to handle millions more packages in a fraction of the time, boosting capacity from 60 million packages to 88 million packages nationwide.
This investment in technology is complemented by a substantial increase in workforce. USPS has hired 14,000 seasonal workers to manage the surge in demand, bolstering its existing workforce of 232,000 employees. Furthermore, the organization has deployed 24,000 new delivery vehicles to enhance its distribution capabilities during peak shipping periods.
Patterson emphasized the importance of these efforts, stating, “We are definitely ready. For 250 years, the postal service has been connecting friends and families to communities, and it’s no different during the holiday season.”
To ensure timely delivery, USPS advises customers to adhere to specific shipping deadlines. There are three key dates that customers must meet for their mail to arrive before December 25. Additionally, major shipping companies such as FedEx and United Parcel Service (UPS) have also announced their respective Christmas shipping deadlines, with some international destinations requiring weeks for processing and shipping.
In a rare move, USPS will temporarily close every post office across the nation for a 24-hour blackout. This shutdown is part of the operational adjustments being made to manage holiday demands effectively. As the holiday rush approaches, both USPS and its customers share the responsibility of ensuring mail is delivered promptly and efficiently.
