Some Christmas shopping tips before you really get started - from Kerry at the Post Office

First of all, I’d like to thank everyone who wrote letters in support of my staying here at the Sloughhouse Post Office so that I can continue to serve this wonderful community.  I am proud to be your local Postal Clerk.

I want to share with you all again some possibly helpful hints about shopping for gifts that you will be mailing to your family and friends in other states outside of California this Christmas.  You may have several ideas of what you may want to buy for some people that you plan to mail out this year, so have some awareness, in advance, about the cost of mailing certain gifts as you’re buying them.  Consider its size, and how you'll have to box it up to mail it.  The bigger it is, the more it will cost you to mail it (regardless of how much it weighs, and I'll explain why).

Using our Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes will help you save lots of money in shipping costs if you buy the things that you know will very likely fit in our Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes.  What's more, sending packages outside of California (and our immediate neighboring states) in our Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes will really save you money if your packages exceed 2 pounds or more each.  

Try to avoid consolidating too many gifts into larger boxes.  When mailing outside of California, Priority Mail parcels that exceed 36 inches (exceeding 12” squared or larger, or larger than 36" of the length, height, and width combined) often get an unpleasant additional surcharge applied because it becomes a large (space consuming) parcel.  Once your package exceeds 36 inches, it automatically gets billed at a 20-pound parcel rate.  The difference of just an inch over 36 inches will make a difference of another whopping $15 to $18 as an additional surcharge to the postage to mail the parcel.  Sending multiple smaller packages will save you money in the long run (depending on how far it has to go).   And definately try to mail the smaller heavy stuff (books, metal, rocks, etc.) in our Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes. 

When sending Priority Mail, if you must mail a big box (exceeding 36” of the 3 sides combined) and that you have no choice but to mail it as the oversized box that it is, then feel free to fill it up to at least 20 pounds so that you will be utilizing every pound that you will be paying for anyway.  Does that make sense?  For example, an oversized but light box weighing only 5 pounds going Priority Mail will cost you just as much if you put more items in that same box and made it weigh more like 10, 15, or even 19 pounds, so don't hesitate to fill it up if you have to use that big box because of a tall or wide item.   However, still try to avoid mailing large boxes if you can.  You don't want to have to pay a lot extra in surcharges for postage by mailing a big box with alot of empty space.  

Our Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes are great at saving money when you use them wisely.  We have four sizes:

The double DVD size box (as well as the Flat Rate envelope) ships out at $4.95.  

Plus, we have the two Medium size Flat Rate boxes (one measures 11” x 8 ½” x 5 ½” and the other measures 14” x 12” x 3 ½”) both mailing at $10.35 each.

And one Large Flat Rate box (12” x 12” x 5 ½”) that costs $13.95 to send (or only $11.95 when mailing to APO's or FPO's for our loved ones serving overseas).  

Send your smaller heavier gifts in these Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes, and then (if you have to) maybe try to make just one big less-than-20 pound box of everything else you want to mail to one address to the mid-west or further. If you want to send larger boxes as Parcel Post, then try to mail them out at least 3 weeks before Christmas Day.

Plus we have some Priority Mail non-flat rate boxes for your more local shipping (within the state) which would usually be cheaper than our set Flat Rate prices. 

So, come on in a grab a bunch of our Priority Flat Rate boxes so that you'll have an idea of how you'll want to shop for your loved ones this year.  And also remember, our Postal Money Orders make great gifts too if you just want to send money as gifts.

The Christmas season is soon upon us.  So, I hope this information will help you out while you're out shopping this year.

                                                                                                Good Luck      Kerry