WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The busy holiday shipping season is here, and the major package carriers are giving a heads up on this year's shipping deadlines.
Carriers say to save money, plan to send by Monday.
Expedited options will give you until Thursday at UPS and Friday at FedEx and the U.S. Postal Service.
According to Deloitte, more than half of holiday shoppers plan to use same or next-day delivery services this holiday season. That is up 5 points from last year.
"We're over, like, 200% above our weekly average for shipments going out," Darien Moses, co-owner of a UPS Store in West Palm Beach, said. "Sometimes we're seeing 400 to 500 boxes go out a day, where we used to see maybe around 100 to 150 a day."
Waiting to send gifts until the last minute can put your delivery at risk of unforeseen weather and processing delays.
"Up until maybe Wednesday, you can really guarantee out," Moses said. "Thursday and Friday, next-day air and it's a promise, but, you know, nothing's guaranteed at that point."
That means when it comes to shipping, it never hurts to be an eager elf.