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Holiday Shipping Rush Is Underway

WILKES-BARRE — The holiday shipping season is in full swing. The busiest time of the year for FedEx, UPS, the U.S.Postal Service and other shipping compan...

WILKES-BARRE -- The holiday shipping season is in full swing. The busiest time of the year for FedEx, UPS, the U.S.Postal Service and other shipping companies is underway.

The deadlines are looming to get your cards and gifts to their destination in time but shippers know there are a lot of procrastinators.

The U.S. Postal service expects to ship 15 billion letters and packages this holiday season and customers at the post office in Wilkes-Barre are contributing to that. Some were there getting their gifts and cards out early.

"Oh, I've been shopping ever since July,” said Marian Mergo of Ashley. "I had to get all them sorted, get all the boxes packed up and shipped out.”

But not everyone is ready to ship so early. That's why the postal service offers deadlines for all the procrastinators.

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But remember, each day closer to the deadline, the post offices get busier.

"It was very crowded earlier, just before you guys came in and I was busy wrapping my things and by the time I was done, people cleared out,” said Rose Poulakos of Sugar Notch.

She said she feels good getting gifts in the mail now.

"It gets me in the spirit."

The UPS store at the Midway Shopping Plaza in Wyoming is also bracing for that last-minute shipping rush.

"We try to think that it's going to be a nice even spread over December. Unfortunately it all happens within a 10 to 15 day period,” said UPS store owner John Minetola.

He says there are cheaper shipping options now but he's learned most people wait until the end.

"If you do procrastinate, which they all do this year, I call it Blue Christmas, December 20.  That's when you have to send it out second day air to make sure it gets there before Christmas Eve."

Most shipping services can take your package on December 23 and get it there by Christmas Eve but remember, if you wait that long, it is going to cost more money.

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