The Postal Service has entered the final days of this year’s peak delivery season, with employees across the nation working to ensure customers receive their holiday cards, letters and packages.
The organization had accepted 9.65 billion mailpieces and packages by 8 a.m. Eastern on Dec. 24, according to an online counter that has been running since the peak season began on Thanksgiving.
Employees say they are up to the task of moving all that mail.
“It’s very fast-paced,” said Tonya Ferguson, a Columbus, OH, mail processing clerk.
Under Delivering for America, the Postal Service’s $40 billion modernization plan, the organization has expanded processing capabilities, improved transportation strategies and enhanced operational precision.
These improvements are helping USPS deliver strong service during the holidays, with 98 percent of the nation’s population receiving their mail and packages in an average of 2.6 days.
Throughout the season, the Postal Service has celebrated milestone deliveries, beginning with the 1 billionth mailpiece in Santa Claus, IN, in late November.
On Dec. 18, the organization marked its 8 billionth delivery in Windcrest, TX.
More milestone deliveries are expected as the season winds down, but employees such as Ryan West, a Bloomington, IL, letter carrier, say they’ll keep working until they get the job done.
“I joke with many of my friends outside of work that I’m Santa Claus this month,” West said.