Mail carriers in Billings are expecting a significant rise in volume for mail and packages this holiday season.
Ty Sobieraj, station manager for Pioneer Station Post Office on 15th Street, said Wednesday morning that the 13 carriers at this location started their day on Monday, with 300 to 400 scans (mail or packages) in their trucks.
"We are now 20 percent above what we were doing last year," said Sobieraj. He said that this 20 percent increase comes at the beginning of the Christmas season, which starts the week after Thanksgiving for the post office.
Jordan Williams, a city carrier for the post office, said this past Monday was particularly busy.
"Monday was really bad. With COVID and everything, there is just a lot more people who don't really want to go to stores. So they are doing online shopping," said Williams.
Williams said today was pretty light for being the week before Christmas, but he expects things to speed up again soon.
Sobieraj says that due to the high volume of packages, people should plan to have their gifts ready for shipment no later than Monday for priority mail. This will ensure that packages arrive to their destination before the holiday.
Sobieraj says people who want a contact-less delivery option can go to the USPS website, choose "click and ship", have them bring the packaging products to the door, and then pick up the package when it is ready for shipment.
