The post office can be the best choice for better service
The U.S. Postal Service may be a better choice in the long-run for mailing holiday packages than a private carrier such as Federal Express or UPS if you utilize the options they offer you at time of shipping. The cost will be cheaper and you will have the peace of mind that there are many people overseeing delivery that have a high level of experience and expertise in mailing packages and holiday cards. Extra caution should be taken, however, with any deliveries and why the postal agents often suggest insuring the package, requesting delivery confirmation, and giving you a USPS tracking number right on your receipt.
Your neighborhood postal service offers many services such as change of address, selling postage, purchasing a post office box, insurance on the items sent and delivery confirmation including return receipt of the recipient's signature that private companies cannot offer. UPS has excellent tracking and scanning, but the Postal Service can put it on your receipt, online and in hard copy. They are not going to charge you extra for packing peanuts or leave your boxes laying around in plain sight. Their employees are government workers who have a chain of command to answer to and governmental oversights on costs and increases. They will not wrap your boxes for you, but now many stations offer decorative envelopes to choose from throughout the year for birthdays and other special occasions and as they say, "if it fits, it ships, for one low cost."
UPS does not provide shipping envelopes when they do a pick up at your door. For that matter, videotapes have shown that they might leave a package at your doorstep without even knocking first or ringing your doorbell - an open invitation to theives. Most postal carriers build a relationship with those on their route and go the extra mile to provide personal service. You will be able to pick up your deliveries conveniently and locally, not go to some remote substation.
Many people who order products through mail order catalogs do not realize that even though the shipper will send it UPS, if the package is small or you live in a remote area not serviced by UPS regularly, that package will be turned over to the U.S. Postal Service for final delivery anyway. If your shipper has to you this information, you will need to track your package using both the UPS or FedEx numbers as well as the USPS numbers that were assigned at the time of turnover. Getting an estimated date of arrival will also help you verify the exact delivery.
