Postal workers in Boise are keeping themselves very busy this holiday season.
Upwards of 3 million pieces of mail and 100,000 packages pass through the U.S. Postal Service’s Processing and Distribution Center in Boise every night during the weeks leading up to Christmas.
USPS gave KTVB an inside look into the facility Tuesday evening.
Machinery and employees – including about 50 who were hired just for the holidays – work in tandem to make sure each piece of mail and each package gets to its final destination.
The workload is double what it is at other times of the year.
“Everyone this time of year works extremely hard,” said distribution operations manager Chris Shaner. “We put in long hours just to keep the mail moving. Everybody is very committed to what we do this time of year and… we want to make sure that all the parcels get delivered for Christmas.”
The Postal Service expects to ship a record 900 million packages nationwide this holiday season, including a record 3 million in southwestern Idaho.
With an increase in early and online shopping for gifts, officials say there is no longer a "busiest day" for holiday shipping. Instead, the Postal Service's busiest time is now two weeks before Christmas.
If you want to make sure your gifts get delivered in time for Christmas, USPS officials say you should get it in the mail by Friday, December 14.
For more information on holiday shipping deadlines, retail hours, packaging tips, and more visit the USPS Holiday Workshop.