Want to increase the odds that your card or gift will get there by Christmas Eve? Check out these tips from the United States Post Office.
The Post office says that 85 percent of all of the hand addressed cards get read by a card reader. This is the fastest way possible, with 36,000 pieces of mail sorted in one hour. If the machine can’t read the handwriting on an envelope, a digital image is taken of the piece and sent to one of eight data centers. There, a human tries to read the address and type it in to a computer. The network then spits out a barcode, which is added to the envelope. So, you can see that having a clearly labeled address will help to speed your mail on its way. Consider typing your address for the best possible outcome. and make sure that you have the complete address of course.
Take advantage of the post office’s free priority mail and express mail boxes and envelopes. You can order them online or pick them up at the post office. They can be used to send mail anywhere in the world.
Flat rate boxes will make your shipping much easier and quicker. These boxes don’t require standing in line to weigh anything or to calculate postage. You just pay a flat fee of $8.95, no matter how much the package weighs or what its destination is. You can even schedule a free pick up from the post office to your door.
Because of new regulations, any package that weighs more than 13 ounces and has stamps (as opposed to metered mail or post office postage labels has to be hand delivered to a letter carrier or to the post office. You can’t leave it in your mailbox or put it in the standard blue mailbox.
Happy shipping!
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
Related Articles:
Frugal and Creative Gift Wrap Ideas
Are You Ready for Christmas Morning?