Starting in the late 1990s, the U.S. Postal Service began opening its mail-opening hours later in the day to provide more time for their employees to do other things during the week.
This change was spurred on by research that showed people were spending more time browsing the web and watching TV after work than before. This increased workload for managers and employees was confirmed by the increase in web browsing and TV watching after closing time.
In addition to increased workloads, this schedule change was an experiment to see if it would affect mail delivery rates. It did!
Postal employees reported a surge in orders being placed at night and a greater demand for services during daytime hours.
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Check the post office website
You can also check the postal office website at any time to see if the post office is open. If it is, then you can visit anytime to pick up your package!
Many post offices open their doors at a specific time, or have specific hours. So, make sure to check that out too!
The best times for picking up mail at the post office are on weekdays, from 8 AM to 4 PM, and during the month of June through September.
Weekend pickup is usually a bad idea- most packages are shipped Monday night or Tuesday morning!
If you need to contact the post office during business hours, they will return your call or answer their phone. Make sure to let them know that you need to pick up mail in order to avoid high call volume or wrong address fees.
Call the post office
If you have an urgent letter or package, call the post office first to make sure the box or envelope is able to be delivered. Some branches open at a specific time while others do not.
Most post offices are located in a building, so you can go inside and call their opening hours. If you are sending something by mail, you must have a valid mailing address to use the post office.
There are usually 2 people working at the post office on a given day, so it can be fast and free to send your package or letter. If there are long waiting times, they offer early entry which is free!
Sending letters by mail can cost extra fees, depending on where you live. If you would like to lower your postage fees, go ahead and ship your letter or package via one of the post offices listed above.
Some post offices are open on Saturday
There are some rural post offices that are open on Saturday. Most of them will have a flag-raising ceremony, and then they open for business.
If you need to send a package to one of these post offices, you must schedule it well in advance. It can take up to two weeks to get an appointment to send the package out!
If you need your package delivered on Saturday, make sure you have enough time to receive your shipment. Some delivery services may not offer quick turnaround times for Saturday deliveries!
The first step in visiting a rural post office is getting your address information. Then, you can schedule an appointment via the Post Office website or call 571-456 toll free.
Some post offices are open on Sunday
There are some locations in larger cities that have a post office that is open on Sunday. These locations include Cathedral City, CA; Tempe, AZ; and Roanoke, VA.
Most of these post offices are open later in the week, so check their website to see what time they are open.
If you need your mail delivered on a Sunday, you must call the location early in order for it to be delivered. Some offices even schedule delivery on Monday if the Sunday delivery is not available.
Delivery times can sometimes be lengthy due to the employees having day jobs and being called away from home at late hours.
Hours depend on the location
Most post offices open their doors at 6:00 a.m. and close at 4:00 p.m. However, some locations open much earlier and stay open until 8:30 a.m. Some locations are closing at 4:00 p.m.
If you visit a location that opens at 6:00 a.m., the post office will already be open and ready to receive mail at 6:00 a.m., even if there is not mail to be delivered until 9:30 a.m.. This is to ensure they have enough time to process the mail before it leaves their hands and goes into the mail system which must be delivered by 12:00 p. m .
If you want your letter or package delivered on time, then you have to get out of bed early! ? You can also send your postcards or e-mail updates on what’s going on in your community using the Internet or phone calls.
Larger cities tend to have longer hours
Most small towns have a post office, but they typically don’t open until a few in the morning and close at night. This is because most people do not want to be bothered during the day to answer their letters and telephone calls.
If you live in a large city, you would likely notice the time of the post office. The majority of them are operating from 6:00 AM until 9:00 PM with a short break in between.
This is why it is important for the post office to have its own building and hours. You would need to be prepared to get your mail on time and be ready for your next opening at 6:00 am!
Every month, the post office picks one month with the most letters received and offers discounted postage for that month.
The post office is open early and late for mail delivery
There are several reasons why you can call the post office early in the morning or late at night to have your mail delivered.
Many people go to the post office at 5 A.M. to get their mail out the door by 7 A.M. This is because there is a wait time during the week when the post office opens at 6 A.M.
The late-night operation is valuable for people who need their mail delivered by a specific time. The post office has produced TV advertisements that show how easy it is to order your mail late at night and have it delivered by 7 A. M.
These TV commercials are very effective in getting people to decide to call in a timely manner to have their mail delivered. This extra service is not offered during daytime hours!
There are two times when the post office opens at 6 A.M.: 7 and 30 days before Christmas.
Off-hours mailing options exist
There is still a option to send mail at any time of the day or night. You can do this in most countries, as the post office is not just for morning and evening business hours only!
Many people choose to have mail sent during their non-working hours to avoid getting involved with the delivery person, who may be more trustworthy in the early hours of the morning or on weekends.
This is a good way to ensure quality mail is being sent and received. Many companies use this option to make sure their products are always delivered!
There are some benefits to having your mail delivered during non-business hours. You get more time to enjoy your new mailbox equipment and/or receiving area, you get more exposure for your business if you operate outside of regular business hours, and you get more recognition from the local community for taking care of your customers.