It?s a simple fact that your bulk mail campaign can?t get dropped off or delivered if the U.S. Post Office is closed. With this in mind, it?s critical that you keep USPS holidays in sight.
Unfortunately, on some the lesser known holidays most of us are still hard at work while our government counterparts get a day off of work; this is why it?s easy to overlook these key days when the US Post Office will be closed.
Another reason it?s easy to miss postal holidays is because six of the ten days that the U.S. Post Office is closed in 2013 fall on Mondays. This means if you don?t get your campaign mailed by the preceding Friday, you?ll have to wait three days to get it in the mail. If you're a marketer, you need to be aware of all of these dates; they are essentially black-out days for bulk mail marketing.
This short post will give you the low down on everything that you need to know to keep your critical marketing campaigns on schedule in 2013. Here are the days that the USPS will be closed in 2013:
- Tuesday, January 1??? New Year?s Day
- Monday, January 21??? Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Monday, February 18??? President's Day/Washington?s Birthday
- Monday, May 27 ??? ??? Memorial Day
- Thursday, July 4 ??? Independence Day
- Monday, September 2 ??? Labor Day
- Monday, October 14 ??? Columbus Day
- Monday, November 11 ??? Veterans Day
- Thursday, November 28 Thanksgiving Day
- Wednesday, December 25 ??? Christmas Day
What other changes by the USPS will impact bulk mailers in 2013? On January 27th, 2013 there is a postal rate increase; click here for details.
The USPS also implemented new tabbing standards for letter sizes bulk mail that is mailed without an envelope.
Finally, the mandatory adoption of the Intelligent Mail Barcode by the USPS goes into effect on January 27th.
Anything else I should know about postal holidays?? If you?re in a smaller market, there may be additional days that the Business Mail Unit will be closed due to staffing issues. Most Business Mail Units will post a notice, but it?s always a good idea to ask if there any additional closures or restricted hours around holiday periods.
Bulk mail or presort standard mail (often referred to as 3rd class mail) is the last in line for attention by the USPS.? Nonprofit bulk mail is treated the same as standard bulk mail from a delivery urgency point of view.
During postal holidays, the whole mail system can get backed up, and in addition to the day lost for the holiday, there?s a very good chance that an additional day or two can be lost as the USPS gets back up to speed.? With this in mind, it?s always a good idea to avoid scheduling time-sensitive mailing projects to drop the day before a USPS holiday.
Can I drop my bulk mail campaign on a Saturday? Although the USPS currently delivers mail on Saturday, the Business Mail Unit of the US Post Office is not opened on Saturdays. You can, however, drop Every Door Direct Mail Retail campaigns on Saturdays.
Bulk mail projects involve successful coordination of many small steps, with delivery to the post office being the final step. Showing up at the post office on a postal holiday is a nightmare. Dropping your bulk mail project the day before a postal holiday can substantially delay delivery. Don?t risk blowing your critical deadlines by being unaware.
Pay It Forward: Please use the share buttons below to send this post to any friends or coworkers who are responsible for direct mail projects.? You never know when sharing some important information like this can prevent a direct mail disaster.
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