Sutton Coldfield Postmaster shares expert tips as Post Office reminds of last posting Ddes

New research reveals nearly 9 in 10 Brits are unaware of last posting dates, and over a third leave gift buying to the last minute.

Last posting dates for 2024:

Friday 20th December:

Royal Mail 1st Class Royal Mail Tracked 48 Evri Standard Parcelforce Express24

Saturday 21st December:

Royal Mail Tracked 24 Evri Priority DPD

Monday 23rd December:

Royal Mail’s Special Delivery Guaranteed®

Postmaster Jitesh Chavda from the Boldmere branch advises:

“My team and I love the whole aspect of Christmas. It’s my favourite time, and we start preparing in June to make sure we’re fully prepared for the busiest time of the year. This year, we’ll be able to help even more people thanks to a new counter, which means we can assist customers more quickly and effectively.”

Jitesh shares tips for posting parcels smoothly:

Prepare ahead

“One thing for customers to bear in mind, and what’s causing a lot of slow processing is sending parcels abroad. You can go online to fill out a custom declarations form through the Royal Mail website. If you have kitchen scales, please weigh the package and individual items when asked. Once that’s done and signed off it will create a barcode that you will need to share with the Post Office team to scan, which only takes seconds to do. This makes the whole process simple and easy for our customers.”

Label and secure

“Make sure the package is already addressed, or you have the address with you. Include a return address and make sure everything is securely wrapped so it arrives safely.”

Choose the right service

“We offer a range of options to suit different budgets and timings, from tracked and signed for to special delivery services. This year, we’ve introduced new services to help our customers send parcels even more quickly.”

The research shows 12% of Brits missed last year’s posting deadlines entirely.

In addition to posting parcels, nearly one in five Brits are busy returning items before Christmas, driven by pre-holiday sales like Black Friday.

Post Office advises customers to check specific posting dates and requirements at their local branch or visit postoffice.co.uk/christmas for more information.