Holiday crush: Postmen rush to ship gifts

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Santa isn't the only one working feverishly - package and mail carriers are due to have their busiest days of the year this week.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) estimates that Monday will be the busiest day of the year. The same is true at FedEx (Charts). Meanwhile, United Parcel Service (Charts) estimates that Wednesday will see its largest volume of the year.

FedEx expects to ship a record of $9.8 million worth of packages on Monday.

These peak days aren't the last chance to get packages delivered in time for Christmas. USPS's Express Mail service allows customers to ship items as late as Saturday, Dec. 23 for delivery on Dec. 25. And even the most negligent procrastinator can ship out items on Christmas day in major cities, guaranteed to reach its destination by the next day.

"A lot of people do wait until the last minute and we expect and anticipate that," said Joanne Veto, a USPS spokeswoman.

Because of the large volume of mail that needs to be shipped, all the services add substantial seasonal help. UPS says it will add 60,000 workers over the holiday period. It estimates that it will handle more than 21 million parcels and letters on Wednesday, up more than 5 percent from the nearly 20 million packages it handled on its peak day of 2005.

USPS has added 10,000 seasonal workers and plans to extend working hours in 7,400 offices around the country.

"The best time to go to a post office is between 10 a.m. and noon" to avoid the crowds and long lines of people, Veto said. She also suggested to have packages shipped by Monday, Dec. 18 to avoid any surcharge fees that may be added as the days get closer to the holiday. "That's the best time to ship a package to have it there by Christmas."

USPS will deliver packages weighing up to 70 lbs through the Express Mail service on or before the holiday at rates starting at $14.40 to most U.S. addresses, P.O. boxes and military addresses.

By comparison, shipping out a 50-pound package using the Express Mail service on Dec. 23 from Texas to California will cost about $105.

Because Dec. 18 is the best time to send packages, it is also the busiest mailing day of the year. "We expect to deliver 280 million cards and letters that day, which is twice the daily average," Veto said.

On a regular day, USPS ships up to 670 million pieces of mail. However, during the week before Christmas, it plans to deliver 900 million pieces of mail daily.

FedEx projects 9.8 million packages to move through FedEx Express and FedEx Ground networks on Monday night, which could break last year's record of 8.9 million on Dec. 19, 2005.

"Historically, we've found that about a week before Christmas is our busiest time of the year," Sally Davetort, a FedEx spokeswoman, said.

FedEx customers can ship packages as late as Dec. 22 to be delivered on Saturday, Dec. 23, the last day before Christmas FedEx will deliver. Davetort says that to avoid any surcharge fees, customers should ship out packages no later than Dec. 21.

So if a customer wants to mail out a two-pound video game on Dec. 22 to his or her nephew in Florida from New York, it will cost nearly $69 to send through FedEx's Overnight service. At the same time, if the customer wants to send a TV and game console system, weighing 150 pounds, that will run the bill up to nearly $600.

"Another thing people may not know is that at FedEx Kinko's they have a 'Pack and Ship' service, and customers can bring in their items unpackaged and they will pack and ship the items for you," Davetort said.

Customers at FedEx Kinko's can chose between different shipping methods offered including FedEx Ground and FedEx Express. Pricing varies on shipping method, size, weight, and shipment location. An extra packaging fee starts at $7.99.

Many mail carriers are also offering online mailing services on their Web sites to ease the hassle of holiday shipping.

USPS has two services, "Click-N-Ship" and "Carrier Service," where customers can buy postage online with free package pickup at an office or home.

"You can send a package in your bathrobe," Veto said. " Customers have until 2 a.m. to place an order and a the mail carrier will pick up the package in the morning."

E-tailers such as Amazon.com (Charts) are also offering incentives to get customers to buy items ahead of time to get free shipping on certain orders to be delivered before Christmas Day.

Amazon.com's offer of free shipping service on orders over $25 expired Friday, Dec. 15. But it will still allow customers to get items ordered this week before Christmas. To get orders shipped by Dec. 22, the latest day for delivery, customers will have to place an order by Dec. 21 by 3 p.m. PST using the one-day shipping.

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