Holiday Shipping Woes

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Christmas is the happiest time of year and also the busiest for shopping and shipping.

If you haven’t shipped all of your Christmas gifts yet, then UPS Stores say you’re pushing it.

Christmas is exactly one week away, and if you haven’t wrapped and packed those gifts you plan on sending off, some of them might not make it on time.

It all depends on what type of shipping you choose and how far the shipment needs to go.

“I think they get overwhelmed, you know? There’s so much going on, you know, trying to do everything for their family, and then for their friends and everything, and they just get overwhelmed and they forget,” says resident, Debbie Clayton.

If you want to send something out quick, it’s going to cost you and could be as high as $199 dollars.

“Next day, which is high, second day, or third day, three day select. Yes. Ground is pretty much you know, around Mississippi, you know, Alabama, you can get it there still this week, but you’re really pushing for time today,” says UPS Store Clerk, Teaerra Frison.

If you don’t want to pay extra for faster shipping and you’re sending a shipment a few hours away, Frison says it could get there Wednesday or Thursday, but there’s no guarantee.

“Today was my personal cut-off, but I think I could probably send it out tomorrow, maybe early Wednesday, it might get there,” says Clayton.

This is the store’s busiest time of year, which is why they’re working longer hours and scheduling more pick ups.

“We stay over to pack because sometimes, we’re busy and we can’t pack right then and there, so we’ve been staying over. It’s three of us, but we get the job done,” says Frison.

If you’re sending gifts from a postal service, they have holiday shipping deadlines for expected delivery by December 25th, listed on their website.

They advise sending first class mail, including greeting cards, being sent out no later than Tuesday, to make it on time for Christmas.