The Vineyard Haven office of the U.S. Postal Service will be open the next three Sundays, December 7, 14, and 21, to offer patrons more time for holiday mail and package services. The retail counter will be open from 10 am to 12 noon, and the Dutch doors open from 12 noon to 2 pm for package pick-ups, according to postmaster Deb Chickering. The lobby will remain open from 10 am to 2 pm.
“I would ask that customers please pick up their mail and packages as soon as possible, because the post office has such limited storage space,” Ms. Chickering said. “After Cyber-Monday this week, we’re already jam-packed.”
Post offices in Chilmark, Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, and West Tisbury will be open during their usual hours during the holiday season.
To ensure Christmas delivery to U.S. addresses, packages and mail sent by standard post should be shipped by December 15, first class and priority mail by December 20, and priority mail express by December 23.
The postal service expects to deliver about 15.5 billion cards, letters and packages from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve, including 450 to 470 million packages, a 12 percent increase over last year’s volume of 420 million.
The USPS predicts the busiest mailing day for holiday cards and packages will be Monday, December 15, when more than 640 million pieces of mail are expected to be processed. The Postal Service’s website at usps.com offers additional information and online services.