Christmas just wouldn’t be complete without a few brown paper
packages under the tree from the folks back home, and the Hollister
post office is working hard to ensure locals that their holiday
wishes and goodies reach their destinations in time.
Christmas just wouldn’t be complete without a few brown paper packages under the tree from the folks back home, and the Hollister post office is working hard to ensure locals that their holiday wishes and goodies reach their destinations in time.
“This is always our busiest time of year,” said Tammy Frietas, supervisor at the local post office. “But we’re ready.”
Monday, according to Postal Service officials, was the busiest mailing day of the year as customers hustled to ship their trinkets, clothes and homemade fudge off to loved ones before Christmas without paying extra for express mail. Wednesday, subsequently, will be the biggest delivery date.
“Our big focus this year is customer service and making sure we get all our carriers off the streets in time,” Frietas said. “In the past, they’d be out past dark because there was just too much to deliver.”
Nationwide, more than 900 million pieces of mail were processed Monday, and between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve more than 20 billion letters, cards and packages will be delivered. The second biggest day for mail, Frietas said, is April 15 – tax day.
According to mail clerk Amy Dizon, the Hollister post office is expected to send off more than 1,000 packages a day for the rest of the week.
“We’re expecting more than 2.2 million letters alone this year,” Frietas said. “That’s from this area and the Salinas area. Most of it’s Christmas cards.”
The added mail volume will naturally mean longer lines, particularly between 4 and 5pm when most people get off work. But post office employees are trying to keep the lines moving as quickly as possible. Someone will always be in the lobby to help answer questions before customers line up, and customers are encouraged to use the new Automated Postal Cents. The computer kiosks can handle routine requests like dispensing stamps or weighing mail, and are becoming more popular with customers.
“Last year you didn’t see a lot of people using them,” Dizon said. “But more people are trying it this year. It’s pretty easy.”
Some of the more unusual things locals have shipped this year include fresh fruit, and even a large Christmas tree, Frietas said.
“Somebody shipped a big Christmas tree way back in October, because they found it on sale,” she said. “They wanted an early start.”
Local resident Susan Paura had nothing so exotic in the two giant boxes she brought to the post office Monday, but said she is a Christmas shipping veteran.
“I have a big family in Seattle and Utah, so we do this every year,” she said. “It’s never a big problem.”
Procrastinating locals need not despair if they didn’t get their mail out Monday, however. If they’re willing to pay the extra fee for express shipping, they can make sure their presents are delivered Christmas Eve or Christmas morning.
“Just make sure you have all the forms filled out, and that it’s weighed and has proper postage, and you should be fine,” Frietas said.
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected].
