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THE clock is ticking for consumers to get their last-minute holiday gifts when desired this year.
Christmas is only seven days away, leaving very little time for any packages to make their way to loved ones’ doors.
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Given how the dates fall in 2024, the holiday season has also been shortened, meaning shoppers must’ve taken time to plan.
The United States Postal Service (USPS), UPS, and FedEx have also taken extra steps to hire seasonal employees for the influx of orders.
USPS noted the hiring of around 7,500 additional workers.
“So, ship early and enjoy your holiday season,” USPS chief customer and marketing officer and executive vice president Steve Monteith noted in a statement to customers.
USPS
Those looking to ship with USPS must be aware of some crucial send-by deadlines for December 25, as some are about to pass.
If you plan on sending gifts through the Ground Advantage service or even First-Class Mail service, the last day to get items out and have them delivered by Christmas is December 18.
That leaves only hours for some shoppers to take action.
The Priority Mail service deadline is on December 19, and Priority Mail Express is listed for December 21.
It’s also important to note that all of these USPS deadlines apply to the contiguous United States, excluding Alaska and Hawaii.
For Alaska and Hawaii, the slightly adjusted dates are as follows.
- First-Class Mail service: December 18
- Priority Mail service: December 19
- Priority Mail Express service: December 20
More information on international and military mail and package delivery deadlines can be found on the USPS website.
FEDEX
FedEx also has mail-by dates for packages to arrive on or before Christmas Eve for its Home and Ground services.
FedEx Home offers customers delivery of packages weighing under 150 pounds to residences every day of the week with a $5.15 surcharge.
Send-By Deadlines Coming Up Fast
- USPS
- Ground Advantage – December 18
- First Class Mail – December 18
- Priority Mail – December 19
- Priority Mail Express – December 21
- FedEx
- FedEx Home Delivery 5-Day: December 17
- Fedex Home Delivery 4-Day: December 18
- FedEx Home Delivery 2-3 Day: December 20
- FedEx Home Delivery 1-Day: December 23
- FedEx Overnight: December 23
- FedEx Same Day: December 24
- FedEx Ground 5-Day: December 17
- FedEx Ground 4-Day: December 18
- FedEx Ground 3-Day: December 19
- UPS
- 3-Day Select – December 19
- 2nd-Day Air – December 20
- Next Day Air – December 23
Ground delivers packages of 150 pounds or less to commercial and business addresses on Monday through Friday, not weekends.
The deadlines for each are listed below, and some have already passed.
- FedEx Home Delivery 5-Day: December 17
- Fedex Home Delivery 4-Day: December 18
- FedEx Home Delivery 2-3 Day: December 20
- FedEx Home Delivery 1-Day: December 23
- FedEx Overnight: December 23
- FedEx Same Day: December 24
- FedEx Ground 5-Day: December 17
- FedEx Ground 4-Day: December 18
- FedEx Ground 3-Day: December 19
FedEx also offers more information on international packages to Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico on its website.
UPS
The deadlines for a domestic delivery ahead of Christmas with UPS are a little more straightforward.
Ground can vary and must be calculated through the UPS website.
Still, the 3-Day Select option must be made by December 19, 2nd Day Air by December 20, and Next Day Air by December 23.
UPS also caught the attention of customers when it doubled down on a price hike earlier this summer.
A customer also claimed UPS held their package “hostage” and forced them to pay more for home delivery last month.
