Shipping and Fulfillment

Does USPS Deliver on Saturday and Sunday? Weekend Deliveries

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Since mail delivery services are expected to be very efficient and reliable, obtaining information on the United States Postal Service operations over the weekends becomes essential.

To manage expectations and plan shipments around USPS weekend Delivery policies, “Does USPS Deliver on Saturdays and Sundays?”.

This blog will cover the various aspects of weekend deliveries made by USPS to offer a detailed overview with some comparisons and insights.

The answer to the “Does USPS Deliver on Saturday” question is simple: Yes, it does! Saturday is generally considered a regular delivery day for USPS.

This means that a significant portion of mail and package services are operational on Saturdays, providing a vital link for those who may not be available during the traditional Monday to Friday-work week. But, “Does USPS Deliver on Sundays?” The answer is yes, but in some exceptional cases, it does.

Table of Contents

Decoding Saturday Deliveries: What to Expect

USPS normally treats Saturdays as a big array of mail and packages of all types.

These might include:

  • First-Class Mail: With first-class mail, letters, postcards, and lightweight packages are usually delivered on Saturdays with regular service.
  • Priority Mail: This expedited service takes one to three business days, and it includes an extra delivery on Saturday with no charge. USPS even states that such Priority Mail shipments tend to be given priority for Saturday delivery. Priority Mail Express is their fastest service, guaranteeing delivery in several locations where Saturday delivery is the norm.
  • USPS Ground Advantage: Another consolidation, just like the previous ground shipping method, with Saturday deliveries as a regular part of the service. 
  • Media Mail: Depending on the circumstances, there could be an occasion when its delivery of books, music, and educational materials is also dependent on Saturday.

As Easyship explains, most services treat Saturday as a regular business day, so usually, there is no extra charge for delivery on a Saturday. 

Sunday Delivery: A More Limited Scope

So, the question regarding “Does USPS deliver on Sunday?” opens a different scenario. Unlike on Saturday, Sunday is not considered a default service delivery date for practically all USPS services.

However, there exist some exceptions to Sunday delivery, which come into play chiefly when expedited shipping is involved or for a few strategic partnerships. 

The key exceptions to USPS delivery on Sundays are:

  • Priority Mail Express: This is a high-level service, and in many metropolitan areas, Sunday delivery is included. If you are sending your package via Priority Mail Express and the local area allows Sunday delivery of this service. You can expect the package to be delivered on Sunday at an additional charge, as suggested by the USPS website.
  • Amazon Packages: Due to a specific agreement, the USPS delivers packages for Amazon on Sundays in many urban and high-volume areas. This partnership has largely augmented Sunday delivery services in recent years.

USPS also points out that, on Sunday, Priority Mail Express and Amazon shipments are pretty much the only ones that are being delivered. Regular classes of mail, like First-Class Mail, Priority Mail (non-express), USPS Ground Advantage, and Media Mail, are normally not delivered on Sunday.

Understanding the Weekend Delivery Framework

The split in shipment time schedules for Saturday and Sunday stems from the given. It is related to operational practices and the changing demands of e-commerce. Saturday delivery has thus traditionally been part of the USPS’s six-day delivery week.

Sunday deliveries, with the initial notion being that it is a day of rest and non-dispatch, underwent a recent makeover for swift delivery-related services and other demands from bigger e-retailers such as Amazon.

Price for USPS’s Saturday Delivery

The price that you finally pay for Saturday delivery with USPS differs from the service or the kind of mail chosen for the Saturday delivery. Saturday is a business day in USPS services, so no extra fees are applied for Saturday delivery.

These are all included under the services that are generally offered on other weekdays. For First-class mail parcels, the minimum charge is $4; for USPS Retail Ground, they charge $7.70; for First-Class Packages, they charge $4; while for Priority Mail Express, they charge $26.75.

Moreover, the full price of any given USPS service varies with respect to the place of delivery and the weight of the package.

Price for USPS’s Sunday Delivery

Sunday delivery is specialized, with Priority Mail Express being a prominent premium service or pledge-based deliveries with Amazon as a reward.

The costs associated with Priority Mail Express start at $26.75. Depending on the weight of your package and the destination, prices vary. Also, an additional $12.50 fee is charged for delivery on Sunday.

Planning Your Weekend Shipments and Deliveries

For businesses or people who require weekend delivery, choosing could mean the world:

  • Saturday: Saturday delivery can be had through First-Class Mail, Priority Mail, and Priority Mail Express services. Additional fees for Saturday delivery rarely come up with these services. So, to answer that often-asked question for these services: “Does USPS deliver on Saturday?” is mostly yes.
  • Sunday: If a package really must be delivered on Sunday, Priority Mail Express will mostly be your best choice with USPS if it is available in your area, and any surcharges applicable will have to be accepted. Sunday delivery in many parts of the country is common for Amazon customers, so if you have a package from Amazon, the answer to the question “Does USPS deliver on Sunday?” could be yes!
  • Limitations of Services: Keep in mind that standard USPS services do not undertake Sunday deliveries. At least keep such considerations in mind when planning if your shipment is in those categories.
  • Local Post Office Hours: Keep in mind that delivery services do go even on Saturdays; cuts in hours are usually in effect for local post offices compared to weekdays, and they are closed on Sundays.

Steps for Selecting USPS Saturday and Sunday Deliveries

Now that you are conversant with the workings of the weekend services of USPS and their respective charges, the following is how you make the most of them:

  • Create an account with USPS.
  • Use the web tools to input your shipment data, estimate shipping charges, and calculate delivery dates.
  • Choose the service that fits the occasion best- for weekend delivery services, Priority Mail or Priority Mail Express is to be used.
  • Complete payment.
  • Schedule pickup (at no charge for either service).
  • Attach your shipping labels to your parcel.

Conclusion

Thus, one may say that the reply is in the affirmative in most cases when mail services are considered, and most times, Saturday is treated as a business day.

When one seeks an answer to “Does USPS deliver on Sunday?” or “Does USPS deliver packages on Sunday,” it gets a little selective, with most locations offering services restricted largely to Priority Mail Express and shipments for Amazon.

Knowing these weekend delivery policies as outlined by the USPS and outside agencies like Easyship and SellerAp enables one to plan the shipments in a timely manner and harness their expectations.

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