Final posting day for pre-Christmas arrivals

Today (December 23) is the final day for parcels to arrive in time for Christmas Day thanks to a special service from Royal Mail.

Caithness residents who have left it until the last minute to post Christmas gifts are in luck as Royal Mail’s Special Delivery Guaranteed® Service is still available at Post Office – providing a saving grace to those hoping for gifts to arrive in time for Christmas Day.

Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed® can offer guaranteed next day delivery to ensure cards and gifts arrive in good time for the big day.

Kristian Latham, head of letters and parcels at Post Office, is on hand to share four top tips to help make sure parcels are shipped off safely:

• Where possible, avoid the lunchtime rush. Make use of longer opening hours by popping in early in the morning and be sure to check final posting times for your local branch.
• Try to prepare what you can before you head into branch to save time. Don’t wait until you’re in a busy branch to pack items: it’s much better to do it in the comfort of your own home.
• Think about what you’re posting. If you’re uncertain, check our prohibitions and restricted list to avoid disappointment. Many people aren’t aware there are restrictions for items such as alcoholic drinks, nail polish, perfumes and aftershave, so it’s a good idea to check in advance.
• Make sure your parcels are correctly packaged (for example, parcels with strings or bows on the outer layer won’t always be accepted) and don’t forget that you can take advantage of services with tracking and cover for high value goods.

Ms Latham said: “Christmas is always a busy period for people across the UK but it’s not too late to visit your local Post Office branch to send off Christmas deliveries. We all want gifts to arrive in time and our postmasters will be working hard across our 11,500 Post Office branches helping local communities to ensure that their parcels arrive in time to be put under the tree.”

For more information visit: www.postoffice.co.uk/christmas and www.postoffice.co.uk/mail/uk-guaranteed

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