US Postal Service gears up for busiest shipping day of the year

WESTCHESTER, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The U.S. Postal Service is gearing up for a hectic day Monday, which is traditionally one of the busiest shipping days of the year.

With just over 10 days before Christmas, the hustle is on at the post office in Westchester. They are fully staffed and ready for the rush.

"Need to fly stuff to Hawaii so we have to get it going real fast," said Yvonne Reyes, a Westchester resident.

Fellow resident Dan May brought in a large load of boxes full of gifts for family and friends.

"They're going all over the country. They're going to Florida, they're going to Idaho, they're going to Puerto Rico, they're going everywhere," May said.

Monday alone, the U.S. Postal Service anticipates 612 million cards, letters and packages will be shipped - that's 100 million more than a typical day.

"You've got to get them out, make it easier on the post office," said Eddie Pultorak from Culver City. "The earlier you are the better it is for me, the better it is for them."

But why wait in line? It's projected over 7 million customers will skip the trip to their post office Monday and shop and ship online from their own homes.

"Using your credit card, you print out shipping labels with postage, and then schedule a free carrier pickup. Your carrier will come by the next day and pick it up," said Richard Maher, a spokesperson for the U.S. Postal Service.

Here are the deadlines if you want your packages to arrive on time for Christmas: