Postal and delivery services experience influx in holiday packages

OKTIBBEHA COUNTY,Miss. (WCBI)-We are just two weeks away from Christmas.

As time winds down, folks are heading to the nearest UPS stores to get those gifts in the mail.

From Thanksgiving through New Years, postal services and delivery companies see more customers than usual.

Package after package lines the shelves at the UPS Store in Starkville.

Store Owner David Buchanan says more customers is normal during the holiday season.

Due to the pandemic, more folks are sending gifts through the mail.

” Instead of everybody going to visit grandma through the holidays, they’re shipping everything to grandma.They’re not going summer vacation. They’re shipping to people they would’ve gone to visit,”said Buchanan.

Buchanan says the store is stocked with supplies.

“We have it, whether it’s packing, shipping, or selling them whatever it is they need. We have office supplies, bubble wrap, faxing, printing, and mailing. We have anything you can imagine a business might need or any individual might need,”Buchanan.

Nearly 300 customers visit the UPS store each day. Some are picking up presents from loved ones.

“We were able to come in and get our packages and had no problem. We had five, so it was no problem. It was very quick,” said Natalie Beatty.

Others are sending gifts to relatives in other states.

” I’m sending some cheese to my sister in Georgia,” said Paul Williams.

” We have all sorts of people. People that are in a hurry to get in and out. We have a-lot of regulars that come in also,” said Buchanan.

In just one hour, over 50 packages are processed and ready for their destination.

“All the shipments that we have back here that are ready to picked up by UPS brown trucks are just from this morning. By the end of the day, we’ll probably have doubled and triple of this amount.”

” They just put a sticker on it, scan it, give me a receipt and I’m ready to go,” said Courtney Blaylock.

So, a few words of advice?

“Come on time. We’re going to make sure they feel welcomed and that they get served quickly and efficiently. We want them to know their packages will be delivered on time,”said Buchanan.

Buchanan urges folks to get their shipments in as soon as possible.