JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Package carriers like the U.S. Postal Service, UPS and FedEx prepare all year long for peak season from November until the new year.
Postal Service Customer Relations Coordinator Sherwin Salla says on top of opening an additional annex to sort mail, the department is hiring seasonal employees.
"Nationally, we're hiring about 40,000 employees. Here in Jacksonville, we're hiring about 1,000," Salla said. "We're just trying to make sure we have enough machinery for the additional packages and also enough employees."
UPS Corporate Communications' Christina Repassy says they expect to hire 100,000 seasonal employees nationally and around 850 in Jacksonville for a variety of positions.
"Our preparations for the holiday season start long before Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Peak planning actually begins in January of each year and continues until the first days of peak season, and our seasonal hiring effort is a huge part of that," Repassy said.
Holiday shipping deadlines are also approaching. Salla says if you want to make sure your packages get delivered on time, plan to ship things out early.
"We're going to have some busy post offices but we've got great people behind the counter ready to help you so just be patient and try to get in as early as you can," Salla said.
Click here for a list of Postal Service employment options.
Click here for a list of UPS employment options.
Scroll down for holiday shipping deadline for the Postal Service, FedEx and UPS.
Postal Service
Continental U.S.:
- Dec. 15: USPS retail ground service
- Dec. 17: First-class mail service (including holiday greeting cards)
- Dec. 17: First-class packages (up to 15.99 ounces)
- Dec. 18: Priority mail service
- Dec. 23: Priority mail express service
USPS For Air/Army/Fleet/Diplomatic post office addresses:
- Nov. 6: Retail ground service
- Dec. 9 :Priority mail and first-class mail
- Dec. 16: Priority mail express military service
USPS Alaska and Hawaii:
- December 17: Hawaii to/from mainland — priority mail and first-class mail
- December 18: Alaska to/from Continental U.S. — first-class and priority mail
- December 21: Alaska to/from Continental U.S. and Hawaii to/from mainland — priority mail express
FedEx
- December 9: ground economy
- December 15: ground and home delivery
- December 21: express saver
- December 22: two day and two-day am
- December 23: overnight services
- December 24: same day
UPS