GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — For folks who may have waited a little too long to order or ship out your holiday gifts, this winter storm may throw a wrench into your plans.
The Golden Valley United States Post Office had a full parking lot during lunchtime on Tuesday.
“There's a lot of cars here and loads of traffic, and people getting their bundles of cards sent off,” said Cathie Horejsi.
Horejsi said it was even busier Monday and chose to come back another day. She said she felt today would be the last day to do so before the storm.
She was not alone in her thinking.
“I think everyone's trying to get it out before the snowstorm,” said one customer, who was trying to get her letter into a full mailbox outside.
“In the event of mandatory road closures by local, state, or federal officials, the USPS will suspend services in those areas,” said USPS spokesperson Desai Abdul-Razzaaq.
According to USPS statistics, however, service has been more reliable in 2022 than 2021.
When asked about worker shortages, USPS did not comment.
Isa Flaherty said she decided to head over to UPS to try and beat the line.
“I just started by USPS and I couldn't even find a parking spot,” said Flaherty. “And then I imagined what it would be like inside waiting in line. So I came here.”
“It's been crazy, but we've been able to handle it. Sometimes the line goes to the door but hopefully not out the door,” said The UPS Store Golden Valley owner Randy Holst. “A lot of it's convenience. I mean, we're all running around, time is crazy. And you know we can get them in and out real quick.
UPS has some last-minute shipping options just like the post office and FedEx, but they said it's always possible for a storm to get in the way of quick deliveries.
“With the weather, we've been told to expect some delays,” said Holst. “But it really has to be a pretty big storm for it to delay a package.”
For U.S. Domestic services, the last recommended days to ship for Dec. 24 arrival with UPS 3-day Select is Dec. 20, 2nd Day Air services is Dec.21 and UPS Next Day Air services is Dec. 22.
USPS’ only recommended option for a Dec. 24 arrival is Priority Mail Express Services with a drop-off deadline of Dec.23.
FedEx also has several options for last-minute holiday packages through their SameDay, Saver, and Freight services.
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