The United States Postal Service is an American government agency that provides postal service in the United States. It is the world’s largest postal system as it delivers almost 47% of the mails in the world. In the domain of private package delivery services, its competitors include UPS, FedEx, and Amazon. Let’s know Does USPS Deliver on Saturdays?
USPS does deliver on Saturdays and in some rare cases, you can expect delivery on a Sunday as well, but they do not deliver if the Saturday or Sunday falls on a holiday. They may expedite the delivery of a mail or hold back another, depending on the category of service under which the particular item has been shipped. Read on to find out more details about the same.
What categories of mail can you expect to be delivered on a Saturday?
Although this is not a hard and fast rule, most USPS offices send out packages belonging to Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express, on a Saturday. They may hold back packages that are shipped under other categories such as First Class Mail, Media Mail and Standard Post. In some rare cases, you can expect USPS to deliver your package on a Sunday as well.
Does USPS deliver on a Sunday as well?
Sunday deliveries are not commonplace, rather they are very rare. Mails shipped under certain services, such as FedEx Smartpost (now being called FedEx Ground), and those shipped under a partnership with Amazon can be delivered on Sundays. These services are offered by USPS in partnership with other companies like FedEx and Amazon.
As per USPS policy, their workweek starts on a Monday and continues till Saturday, and their Saturday business hours are relatively shorter than the other workdays. Therefore, delivery on a Sunday is very rare and only an exception.
What categories of mail can you expect to be delivered on a Sunday?
The mails shipped under the following services may be delivered on a Sunday. This is mainly due to certain guarantees offered regarding the date of delivery or a money-back scheme in case the package is delivered later than promised.
- FedEx Smartpost or FedEx Ground (as it is now called)
- Amazon Partner deliveries
- Priority Mail Express
Does USPS deliver mail on all Saturdays or are there any exceptions?
If the particular weekend coincides with a holiday such as Christmas, New Year’s Day, or Fourth of July, the USPS remains closed and no mails are delivered over the weekend. If the holiday falls on the following Monday, then you will receive your package only on the next day i.e., Tuesday, and no earlier than that.
At what time can you expect your package to be delivered on a Saturday?
The working hours of USPS on a Saturday are significantly different from those on other days of the week, and there is no way to predict the exact time at which your mail could be delivered. One way to find out an approximate time is to make a call to the local post office and ask directly. Even in that case, it will be difficult to find out as the delivery supervisor may not know the exact route or location of the delivery truck.
Conclusion
USPS follows a 5/1 work week program, and therefore, they remain open on Saturdays, provided that no other holiday falls on the same weekend. But the working hours may differ from the other days of the week and thus, most of the time, only select mail are sent for delivery on Saturdays. They may hold back First Class Mail and Standard Post in order to expedite the mails shipped under Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express as these services come with certain guarantees regarding the date of delivery.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Do you have to pay any additional charges if your mail is delivered on a Saturday?
Saturday is a working day as per USPS policy, so, there is no need to pay any additional fee. But, depending on the service you choose, you will have to pay a higher price than the standard mail. For example, Priority Mail Express gives you a guaranteed delivery within 1 to 2 days, and you would pay a higher price for the same. But this may not be applicable for other services like Media Mail, etc. for which you do not need to pay as much as the former. Other than the above, there is no need to pay any additional charges.
- Is there any additional fee to be paid for the delivery to be made on a Sunday?
USPS offers a special service in which you can get guaranteed delivery on a Sunday for an additional cost. They usually charge $12.5 for the same, and you can visit their website to check the updated price.
