Christmas shipping deadlines you should know for 2020

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By JACQUELINE LAUREAN YATES, ABC News (NEW YORK) — Christmas is right around the corner, and if you are planning to send gifts to your loved ones, it might be a great idea to get started … like yesterday.Due to the coronavirus pandemic, holiday shipping is top of mind for families, friends, retailers and delivery companies more than ever before.”As more shoppers shift to purchasing online, shoppers could face issues with shipping costs and delays,” shopping and trends expert Sara Skirboll told ABC News’ Good Morning America.She added, “While we haven’t seen a lot of big retailers promoting their holiday shipping deadlines just yet, most big box and mass retailers are leaning into BOPIS [buy online, pick up in store] or curbside, or free same-day delivery, next-day or two-day delivery at retailers like Home Depot, Target and Best Buy when it’s available.”Skirboll highly recommends getting your holiday shopping done as early as possible to take advantage of contactless curbside pickup services.A United States Postal Service (USPS) spokesperson told GMA the busiest time for the postal service begins about two weeks before Christmas.

“Beginning the week of Dec. 7, customer traffic is expected to increase, with the week of Dec. 14 – 21 predicted to be the busiest mailing, shipping and delivery week,” the spokesperson said.So make your holiday shopping and shipping a little more seamless this season by taking note of deadlines put in place by major delivery services if you’d like your Christmas gifts to make it under your tree by or before Dec. 25.Check out deadlines from USPS, UPS and FedEx below:Christmas shipping deadlinesUSPS“The Postal Service plans for peak holiday season all year,” a USPS spokesperson told GMA. “This includes making sure the right equipment is available to sort, process and deliver the expected mail and package volumes. Seasonal workers are hired when and where needed, and technology has been expanded to enhance package tracking throughout the USPS processing and transportation networks.”Dec. 15: This is the last day for retail ground shipping.Dec. 18: This is the last day for first-class mail service (including greeting cards) and packages up to 15.99 ounces.Dec. 19: This is the last day for Priority Mail service.Dec. 23: This is the last day for Priority Mail Express service.More information on USPS holiday shipping deadlines can be found here.UPSThe delivery giant confirmed that most UPS Ground shipments will have later recommended shipping dates this year. The company is also hiring an additional 100,000 seasonal employees for the peak holiday time frame.Dec. 15: This is the last day for UPS Ground service.Dec. 21: This the last day for UPS 3 Day Select service.Dec. 22: This is the last day for UPS 2nd Day Air service.Dec. 23: This is the last day for UPS Next Day Air service.More information on UPS holiday shipping deadlines can be found here.FedExThe company advises planning ahead to ensure gifts arrive on time. You can create your own shipping label at home and find a nearby location for easy drop-off service.Dec. 15: This is the last day for FedEx Ground service.Dec. 21: This is the last day for FedEx Express Saver and 3Day Freight services.Dec. 22: This is the last day for FedEx 2Day A.M. and 2Day Freight services.Dec. 23: This is the last day for FedEx 1Day Freight, Extra Hours, Standard Overnight, Priority Overnight and First Overnight services.Dec. 25: This is the last day for FedEx SameDay, SameDay City Priority and SameDay City Direct services.More information on FedEx holiday shipping deadlines can be found here. Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.