Waiting around for mail or packages you are expecting isn’t ever fun.
Worse, companies like Amazon have trained us to expect our packages in two days or less – and anything that takes even just a little bit longer than that start to cause at least a little bit of address and anxiety.
Thankfully, tracking information lets us all watch our packages as they move through the USPS system. And, if most of us were totally honest, we all admit that we track our packages a lot more often than we probably should.
At the same time, though, wouldn’t it be nice to know exactly when your packages were going to arrive from the USPS?
We’re not just talking about knowing the day that they are scheduled for delivery, either.
We are talking about knowing EXACTLY when they are going to hit your doorstep.
The day and the time that our mail and packages are going to arrive.
Is that possible right now?
Even with advanced tracking information from the USPS and other shipping partners?
Let’s find out right now!
What Time Does USPS Deliver?
To put it bluntly, as of right now there is no way to know EXACTLY when your package is going to arrive – at least not with any information available directly from the folks at the USPS, anyway.
Sure, you can usually ballpark when you expect your mail to hit your mailbox. But there are a bunch of different things that can impact delivery time and throw things off schedule – though we dig a little deeper into that in just a moment.
At the same, the USPS does run pretty standard business hours that you can expect and anticipate to stay standard every day of the year (Monday through Saturday, anyway).
As of late 2020, the USPS has normal “retail” business hours of between 9 AM and 7 PM nationwide – and that’s local time.
That means that you’re able to visit the post office anywhere between the hours of 9 AM and 7 PM in your local area and get access to the PO Box area, the mail delivery or drop-off area, and should usually have money of time to chat with any of the postal workers that make your post office run as well.
The USPS also allows for Passport Appointment hours between 10 AM and 5 PM on normal business days, again local time.
You’ll have to schedule your passport appointment in advance – that’s pretty easy to do, and can be taken care of online 99% of the time – but you also have to be aware that you need short between those hours of operation and not the standard business times.
As far as delivery times are concerned, you can generally expect your mail to be delivered anywhere between 7 AM and 8 PM (local time) if the mail carriers are out on their routes.
Yes, that means that the USPS is technically working two hours before they open their post offices and one hour after they close the retail operation to make sure that you get your mail.
Some locations are open a little earlier than that and others stay open a bit later, but as a general rule you can expect this “two and one” kind of principal to be followed pretty much across the board.
What Impacts Delivery Times?
Any different number of things can significantly impact overall delivery times, some of them totally and completely out of your or the USPS control.
For example, inclement weather can significantly hinder delivery times even though the USPS is committed to working through pretty much anything and everything harsh weather conditions can conjure up.
There is a Post Office creed, after all, and a big part of that is delivering the mail regardless of whether or not the sun is shining bright in a clear blue sky or if a storm is barreling down upon a mail carrier.
They are committed to getting the job done rain or shine, wind or weather, and these amazing postal employees do a very good job at that.
Of course, inclement weather is always going to throw a monkey wrench into a traditional USPS infrastructure set up – and that’s going to delay shipping significantly.
Power outages, nasty snow or ice, slippery roads, and major wind storms can all delay delivery of your mail and packages. We expect that.
On top of that, widespread illness throughout a USPS location, town, or region can also cause a significant slowdown in the mail.
If mail carrying personnel – or any of the USPS infrastructure support workers – are coming down with an illness and aren’t able to faithfully discharge their duties the staff is going to be shorthanded, and that’s going to have an impact for sure.
Add into the mix that all kinds of things can go sideways with an organization of this size – airplanes carrying hundreds of thousands of pieces of mail get delayed, trucks breakdown with parcels and packages in transit, etc. – and there’s a good chance that your mail is going to be slowed down somewhere along the way.
Luckily, the USPS is pretty flexible and adaptable and quite capable of tackling these issues before they become huge problems (under most circumstances, anyway).
Why Isn’t My Mail Getting to Me at the Same Time Every Day?
Another reason that your mail likely isn’t getting to you at the exact same time every day, but instead in the same ballpark, has to do with overall mail piece, package, and parcel volume.
If, for example, on Monday there isn’t a lot of mail on the truck for your local mail carrier to deliver the chances are very good that you’re going to get your mail quite a bit earlier than you would have normally.
If, on the other hand, that mail truck is absolutely filled to the gills with heavy boxes and packages (like around Christmas, for example) the chances are pretty good you’re going to be getting your mail a lot later on in the day.
Other things like inclement weather, traffic, road accidents, roadwork, and a whole host of other issues – including issues with the mail carrying vehicles themselves – maybe holding up your mail and not allowing it to get through at the exact same time every single day.
All in all, though, you should be able to expect your mail to arrive on a pretty consistent schedule day in and day out, usually ballpark them things within an hour (roughly) or so.
Are There Any Days Where Mail Won’t Be Delivered?
There are a couple of days where the mail simply isn’t going to be delivered, and it’s important that you are aware of these “mail holidays” if you’re expecting packages or parcels.
For starters, all major federal holidays that close government offices and banks are going to also close down the local USPS and stop door-to-door mail delivery for the day.
We are talking about things like Christmas, New Year’s, Independence Day, Veterans Day, etc. If there is a bank holiday or if there’s a government holiday the odds are very good that the USPS is going to be closed, too.
As a general rule you’re also going to have no mail delivered to you personally on Sundays.
There are a couple of exceptions to this rule, however.
Priority Mail packages as well as Amazon packages are going to be pushed through the USPS system for delivery on Sundays as part of the contract with customers and Amazon themselves.
On top of that, during the holidays, the USPS will often give their employees quite a bit of extra cash and over time to willingly extend their delivery hours on Sunday as well.
This is done to handle the overwhelming flood and crush of mail that comes pouring out during the holiday season, and it’s a big part of why so many Christmases are successful – especially with the popularity of online shopping booming in the last few years.
What Times of Year Will Have Slower Delivery Times?
The weeks between Black Friday (right after Thanksgiving) and Christmas Eve are notorious for being the most jampacked times to try and get things sent through the mail.
Everyone (okay, almost everyone) is looking to send packages and parcels during this time of year, and the USPS system gets gummed up in a hurry.
There are a couple of other times throughout the year (Mother’s Day, for example) where the USPS is bogged down and delayed because of the volume of mail that they have to push through the same infrastructure that handles all “regular” mail at the same time.
As a general rule of thumb, do try to send your packages or parcels (or make your purchases online) outside of these busy season windows.
If you order within this timeline the odds are pretty good that you are going to see your packages and parcels delayed at least a little bit.
Is There Anyway to Guarantee Mail Gets Delivered at a Specific Time?
It would be nice to guarantee that your USPS packages, parcels, and every day mail get delivered at the exact same time every single day, but pulling that off is rather challenging.
Of course, the USPS does have a variety of priority, two day, and overnight services that you may be interested in taking advantage of if you want to get your package to a recipient as quickly as possible.
Priority Mail is going to guarantee delivery within 3 to 5 business days, usually ending up even faster than that.
Two Day USPS delivery is going to make sure that your package arrives within 1 to 2 business days, and overnight services absolutely guarantee that your package is going to be on the doorstep or desk of your recipient the very next day – business day or not.
There are other services that you can take advantage of that further dial in the timeline of delivery.
For example, you can choose overnight morning or overnight afternoon delivery to guarantee that your package or parcel hits your recipient address bright and early sometime before noon or anytime after lunch.
That gives you a bit more granular control over your deliveries, anyway, and can be useful in a pinch.
Just know that these services are premium services and you’re going to have to pony up a little bit of extra cash to take advantage of them. The sooner you want your mail delivered, the more you’re going to have to pay (but that’s no surprise).
US Global Mail – A Mailbox You Have Total Control Over
At the end of the day, you may be looking for a modern mailbox solution that you have a little more control over than what you’re getting from the USPS.
Not everyone likes to have to wonder about what is going to be in their mailbox every afternoon, and nobody likes having to go down to the post office to check a PO Box with fingers crossed hoping that something – anything – is going to be in that box to avoid a wasted trip.
Well, with US Global Mail you eliminate those issues altogether with a much more modern solution that offers a lot of control.
Not only do you get a 100% legitimate street address to use with US Global Mail (allowing for all packages, all parcels, and all mail pieces from every service to be delivered) but you also get digital mail scanning and notification services, mail forwarding solutions, check depositing options, and so much more.
To learn about everything that US Global Mail brings to the table, and to discover why so many people trust this company to be their modern mailbox solution – and have for more than 20 years – be sure to visit their website today.
If you have any questions and want someone to answer them personally reach out via email or phone and speak to one of the US Global Mail customer service reps. They’ll be able to give you all the inside information you need to know for sure!
