Post Office issues warning to anyone sending parcels ahead of Christmas
The Post Office is advising customers to send their Christmas parcels well in advance, predicting that Friday 8 December will be the busiest day at its branches across the country.
It comes as Post Office research revealed a significant increase in the number of Britons planning to send gifts this festive season; This rate increased from 20 percent to 33 percent last year.
The same survey highlighted that 34 percent of the population consider sending Christmas packages and cards a beloved holiday tradition.
Despite this, only 33 percent plan to send their posts in early to mid-December; A significant 8 percent admit to leaving all their holiday mail until the last week before Christmas.
Post Office branches offer convenient drop-off and collection points for pre-paid parcels in selected locations, including services from Amazon, DPD, DHL and Evri, as well as Royal Mail and Parcelforce.
Post Office post and parcel manager Candice Ohandjanian said: “This Christmas is set to be one of the busiest yet, with almost three-quarters of Brits planning to buy the same number of gifts for loved ones, or even more, than last year.
“And when it comes to sending carefully selected gifts, the local Post Office remains the main place the public trust to ensure these gifts arrive safely.
“Whether it’s expert advice on international shipping, help with customs forms, finding the best delivery option or simply a convenient spot to collect or drop off packages, the Post Office is here to make Christmas shipping stress-free.”
The news comes after Royal Mail previously announced it would hire around 20,000 temporary workers to boost delivery operations over the Christmas period.
The new positions will be spread across two package centers, four seasonal package sorting centers and 37 postal centers across the country.
It aims to help Royal Mail meet seasonal demand spikes, covering major shopping events such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the usual shopping and pre-Christmas shipping.
Specifically, 12,000 postal center sorting roles will be available in England; There will be 2,000 additional roles in Scotland, 600 in Wales and 400 in Northern Ireland. Royal Mail will also be recruiting for 2,000 temporary HGV and MGV driver positions, as well as 3,000 delivery and collection positions across the UK.
