Happy New Year! Many retailers and restaurants operate on reduced hours or close on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, but can shoppers expect to receive any packages in the mail? Do FedEx, UPS and Amazon deliver on December 31 and January 1? Read on for details.
FedEx on New Year’s Eve
Getty FedEx.
FedEx operates primarily as normal on New Year’s Eve, according to the online holiday schedule. FedEx Ground, Home Delivery, SmartPost, Custom Critical and Trade Networks are all on regular schedules. FedEx Freight and Express are both listed as having a modified service schedule.
FedEx Offices are also expected to close earlier than normal. If you were planning to stop inside a brick-and-mortar location, double-check the hours of the store closest to you before heading out. Find locations by clicking here.
FedEx on New Year’s Day
Getty A FedEx employee sorts through items being shipped through the Fedex World Service Center on December 10, 2012 in Doral, Florida.
Nearly all of FedEx’s services are closed on January 1, 2021. The only exception on New Year’s Day is FedEx Custom Critical. According to FedEx’s website, Custom Critical shipments include sensitive items that require temperature control, potentially hazardous materials and products that require special vehicles for transport.
If you’re expecting a package to arrive after New Year’s, FedEx cautions that delays may happen. In addition to weather disruptions, the delivery service has had to manage an increase in volume amid the coronavirus pandemic as well as navigate business closures.
FedEx explains on its website, “the COVID-19 pandemic has created record-breaking shipment volumes. As more people shop online to avoid crowds in stores, those numbers have grown even more. This has created shipping volumes that are taxing logistics networks nationwide, which may cause delays.”
To follow your items as it’s in transit, enter the tracking number here.
UPS on New Year’s Eve
(Getty)
UPS is moving items on New Year’s Eve but customers should not expect to receive packages on their doorsteps. The company’s holiday schedule notes that there is no ground service delivery or pickup on December 31.
UPS air and international Air services will be operating as well as UPS Express Critical. UPS Freight has modified hours on New Year’s Eve.
UPS Store locations are open for regular hours. Find a store near you with the UPS locator tool here.
UPS on New Year’s Day
Getty UPS Store.
UPS employs approximately 528,000 people around the globe, according to its online fact sheet. The majority of them have the day off on January 1.
UPS does not pick up or deliver packages on New Year’s Day, according to the holiday schedule. Store locations are closed for the holiday and UPS Freight is closed.
UPS Express Critical, however, operates 365 days per year.
Amazon on New Year’s Eve & Day
GettyAmazon delivery trucks are seen on August 07, 2019 in Miami, Florida.
Customers can expect to receive deliveries from Amazon on New Year’s Eve but not on January 1. Amazon notes on its website that same-day delivery services are not available only three days of the year: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
Most of Amazon’s employees should have the day off on New Year’s Day. A jobs page that explains benefits, accrued paid personal time and the rules about leaves of absence also lists seven paid holidays that Amazon employees typically receive:
- New Year’s Day
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Christmas Day
Amazon has traditionally relied on the United States Postal Service for a significant portion of its deliveries. As the Washington Post explained, the USPS was known to handle “last mile” shipping for deliveries to more rural areas where Amazon did not have a warehouse nearby. USPS workers are federal employees and therefore do not work on federal holidays including New Year’s Day.
But Amazon has been quickly building up its own delivery resources and that could alter the delivery game. As Cheddar recently reported, Amazon now ships 67% of its packages to customers, which is a substantial increase from the 50% of deliveries it handled in 2019. A separate page on Amazon’s website about delivery jobs notes that employees who work on national holidays like New Year’s Day are paid time and a half.
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