The final hours to get packages to family and friends by the holidays approaching

The hours are winding down for those seeking to get packages delivered to friends, family and business associates to their final destination in time for the holidays.

And if you wait too long, the price to get it there may start to rise.

The U.S. Postal Service is rushing to deliver an estimated 3 billion pieces of mail, this week alone, said David Rupert, a spokesman for the postal service in Nevada.

On top of that, about 200 million packages are estimated to be delivered during this week, across the nation.

For some, sending packages through the local post office has worked out, on most occasions.

Pahrump resident Jolene Shelton said packages sent domestically have reached their destination in about two days, using priority mail.

Shelton said she did experience longer delivery times when using the postal service to ship items to Alaska.

According to Shelton, she shipped a package in early December 2016, which wasn’t delivered until well into 2017, she said.

The U.S. Postal Service’s website shows a separate recommended shipping schedule to reach parties by the holidays in Hawaii and Alaska, compared to shipping to other locations in the U.S.

“Actual delivery date may vary and is based on origin, destination, post office acceptance time and other conditions,” according to information on usps.com.

International delivery dates also vary, but most recommended shipping dates have already passed.

Some international deliveries might make it by Christmas for senders who choose to use the postal services’ Global Express Guaranteed Service, though many cutoffs have already passed or will expire soon.

The U.S. Postal Service does have its benefits.

The benefit of using the postal service has been the flat-rate boxes for priority mail for Shelton, she said.

Local resident Kaitlin Laing said the priority boxes have been beneficial in fitting her crochet gifts for shipment.

On the domestic side, those looking to get cards or letters delivered by Christmas are likely out of luck. The cutoff expired on Tuesday.

But packages sent by priority mail today (Wednesday) will make it by Christmas, Rupert said.

For those last-minute packages going out by Friday through a local post office, Rupert said will still make it on time for Christmas using the postal service’s express option. That, however, will cost a little more for the sender, he said.

Other delivery services, United Parcel Service and FedEx are also winding down, with most services cutting off by Thursday for a guaranteed Christmas delivery date.

Potential growth in Nevada

At the state level, Rupert said Nevada has seen a rise of about 10 percent over the last holiday season.

Double-digit growth has been a reality for the postal service in Nevada, especially with growth in the e-commerce sector, along with several large companies migrating to Southern Nevada to set up distribution hubs in the state.

“We’ve been seeing double-digit gains for the last five years there,” Rupert said.

The Southern Nevada area has gained several new companies looking for regional distribution hubs.

Companies such as Amazon and Bed, Bath &Beyond are just a couple of the organizations that have set up shop or expanded in the past several years.

Contact reporter Jeffrey Meehan at jmeehan@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes