Wednesday is the last day to get your cards and packages in the mail in order to ensure they arrive at their destination by Christmas, according to the U.S. Postal Service.
WTOP recently took a tour of the USPS facility in Sterling, Virginia. Thousands of letters and cards whizzed by in mail sorters, packages were transported along conveyor belts to various bins for delivery, and dozens of workers scanned packages and prepared them for delivery.
USPS has recently installed 620 new processing machines nationwide, which has increased their capacity from 60 million packages to 88 million, according to Mark Wahl, strategic communication specialist with USPS.
“If someone brought a package in here, if they send it Ground Advantage, typically (it would take) three to five days across country (to be delivered),” said Wahl. “If it was to stay here in the Dulles area in Northern Virginia, more than likely, one to two days.”
Wahl had a couple tips for people bringing in packages during the holiday season.
“I always tell our customers know how much it weighs, where it’s going to. You can bring it to our experts in the lobby. They can tell you what your best option is. Or you can go on our website usps.com and do your own calculation,” said Wahl.
Ultimately, the US Postal Service remains the most affordable way to send packages, said Wahl.