Pasadena Post Offices Working Overtime Amid Busiest Week of the Year

U.S. Postal Service staff members throughout Pasadena have been starting their days early and working into the night to deal with the influx of packages, letters and cards being shipped during what’s traditionally the USPS’s busiest week of the year, officials said.

Customers can help alleviate the crunch, and ensure their gifts and greeting arrive on time, by sending their shipments as early as possible, according to Pasadena Postmaster Tracy Jones.

“I would urge them to get into the post office this week,” Jones said. “This is our busiest week. We are anticipating heavy volumes of mail in the network. So try and complete your mailings by the 18th for First Class, Priority on the 19th.”

Carriers will be making Priority Mail Express deliveries through Dec. 24, Jones added.

Mail carriers will also deliver Priority Mail Express packages on Christmas Day, for an additional fee, in select locations, according to a USPS statement.

“The earlier the better is all I can say,” he said. “This week would be far better than waiting till next week.”

Shipments, priority mail box orders, shipping label printing, postage sales can all be arranged online at usps.com and through the ISPS Click-N-Ship feature.

Lines of customers have been waiting outside Pasadena post offices prior to opening in recent days, Jones said.

“We’ve been opening early. We have people here late at night doing a variety of mailings and pickups as well,” he said.

“Our employees are focused on working longer hours for our community in trying to get our parcels and all the mail out in a timely fashion,” Jone said. “I’m sure people have noticed quite a few carriers on the street into the late-night hours.”

In addition to the holiday shipping rush, “We’re dealing with the pandemic, like most businesses. We’ve seen our fair share of COVID cases as well,” he said.

“We’re making our employees aware and doing increased cleaning in our facilities,” he said. “Everything we can to protect them and their loved ones.”

More information on the USPS’s holiday preparations can be found online at about.usps.com/holidaynews.