What’s it like to be a Postal Service mail carrier in SLO during the holidays? ‘Insane’
Santa Claus is getting some help from the U.S. Postal Service this holiday season.
During its busiest time of the year, the federal agency ships and delivers billions of packages across the country.
In San Luis Obispo, up to 12,000 parcels a day pass through the main mailroom at 1655 Dalidio Drive during peak season, according to Postmaster Mark Martinez.
“During the holiday season, our package and our mail services increase immensely due to everybody wanting to send Christmas presents, Christmas cards to all their family members,” Martinez said.
Martinez oversees more than 100 employees and 40 vehicles at a total of three post offices in the San Luis Obispo area, including two in San Luis Obispo. He also manages a station in Los Osos.
Throughout the holiday season, most Postal Service employees work extended hours — often putting in 12-hour days to deliver everyone’s packages by Christmas Day, Dec. 25, Martinez said.
A typical mail route tends to average around 100 packages per day, SLO’s postmaster said.
During peak season, Post Office letter carriers see their workload at least triple, with more than 300 package deliveries per route.
SLO letter carrier: Job can get ‘a little crazy’
Zach Sherer has been a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier in San Luis Obispo for the past seven years. During that time, he’s developed strategies to handle 60-hour work weeks around the holidays.
He goes to bed early and eats a healthy breakfast at the start of each day. Then he gets to work.
Despite the long hours, Sherer said he no longer gets overwhelmed by the additional workload.
“It can get a little crazy, but we have a really good crew here,” he said. “I think everyone here enjoys what they do. Otherwise they wouldn’t be here.”
What’s it like to deliver mail in SLO during the holidays?
As the fog started to clear on a recent December morning, Sherer went to the main San Luis Obispo mailroom and grabbed all of the mail for his route.
He quickly organized the pile in order of delivery before loading it all up in multiple hampers stacked to the brim with peoples’ packages.
He meticulously loaded his mail truck, ensuring each parcel was placed in accordance to his route.
Sherer then drove to downtown San Luis Obispo to start dropping off all the items that wind up in local mailboxes: letters, packages, fliers, junk mail and more.
His daily route winds through the 1000 block of Higuera Street, hitting up familiar haunts including BlackHorse Espresso and Bakery and Woodstock’s Pizza, before cutting over to City Hall and San Luis Obispo Superior Court.
Sherer delivers to many residential streets in the area as well, he said.
“My days might be longer (during the holidays) but it’s still the same,” he said, adding that he’s ”still delivering the same way, in the same order.”
How does postal worker prevent package thefts?
Long hours are not the only challenges Sherer faces around the holidays, he said.
There are swings in weather and temperature, as well as barking dogs.
Sherer also has to contend with porch pirates — thieves who steal packages left on doorsteps.
To combat the latter issue, Sherer places packages out of the sight from the street.
He urged people to take action to prevent property theft by checking their mail daily.
As he processes and delivers thousands of parcels, Sherer asked residents to be patient and consider the people responsible for delivering the packages that end up on their porches.
“When you order something, there’s a human cost,” he said. “(The package) goes through a lot of hands. Those hands are working a lot of hours, so take the estimation that the email gives you with a grain of salt.”
More online packages mean more work for US Postal Service
With the rise of online shopping, the Postal Service has witnessed a meteoric rise of packages being shipped around the holidays. according to Martinez.
Martinez said online retailer Amazon has forever changed the way the post office does business.
“I started 32 years ago, and it’s been insane with Amazon coming in,” he said, noting that the Postal Service delivers Amazon orders in SLO. “You’d be surprised how many houses we go to seven days a week.”
“People depend on online shopping, so it increases (our workload),” he added.
To meet demand this holiday season, the U.S. Postal Service increased its daily processing capacity to 60 million packages, according to an agency news release.
In San Luis Obispo, Martinez said packages begin arriving in the mailroom starting around midnight.
He has instituted earlier start times for letter carriers and clerks to improve efficiency, calling mail processing and delivery “a 24-hour kind of deal” amid peak season.
Tips for sending presents this holiday season
Worried your present won’t arrive in time for Christmas?
The U.S. Postal Service has released a list of mailing and shipping deadlines for holiday packages to ensure they get to their destinations by Dec. 25.
Check out the recommended holiday dates for 2024 here.
