• Canada Post delays are inevitable this time of year, especially with the increased online shopping that now happens at the end of November thanks to Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
• Canada Post is warning online shoppers to track their packages in order to maintain expectations.
• As of December 6, Canada Post enters its no-guarantee window as seasonal volume impedes its ability to meet delivery goals.
• Visit MTLBlog for more headlines.

It likely comes as no surprise to anyone that Canada Post is dealing with a significant increase in the volume of packages being sent across, and into, the country right now. This increase is so significant that they are now warning of Canada Post delays and encouraging customers to track their package to manage expectations. Canada Post hires "more than 4,000 seasonal workers" during the holiday season, as well as doubling their transportation capacity when Black Friday and Christmas shopping get into full swing.

On top of the seasonal staff and increased fleet, they also extend their delivery to weekends and expand their network with temporary pickup locations.

However, even with all of that preparation, the company is still warning Canadians to be realistic and accept that delays are inevitable.

A banner, seen below, is now up on the homepage of the Canada Post website noting that the high seasonal volumes are causing delays that could impact the presence of a present or two under your tree come Christmas Day.

It is only two weeks away, after all.

In fact, according to the CBC, Canada Post is suggesting that if you hope to have your package by the 25th, you're going to want to send it out... today.

The photo below is a screenshot of the Canada Post website at around 8 a.m., on December 11, 2019, showing the banner that warns of the high seasonal volume delaying some deliveries.

Canada Post let me know that "holiday delivery plans are in full effect, with a record 2.2 million parcels delivered on Monday (December 9). Combined with over 960,000 parcels delivered over the weekend, that’s a total of 3.2 million parcels delivered to start the week."

[rebelmouse-image 26887912 photo_credit="Canada Post" expand=1 original_size="1080x1152"] Canada Post

There is no other information available on their website, unless you have a tracking number for a package currently on the move.

I spoke with a Canada Post representative to confirm that today was the last day to order something if I wanted to ensure my package would arrive by the 25th.

He said that, essentially, all bets are off as of December 6. After December 6, Canada Post enters its seasonal no-guarantee window.

This means, if Amazon suggests shipping will take three business days, you can just go ahead and ignore that. As much as Canada Post will try to make sure this is the case, there is no guarantee.

This no-guarantee window lasts from December 6 until January 11.

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However, according to the CBC, Canada Post is suggesting that if you want your packages to arrive by December 25, you should have them sent by December 11, if you are using standard shipping.

Part of the reason for these delays is the conjunction of Christmas shopping and Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping, which seems like it ended just yesterday.

The back-to-back, or non-stop, online ordering has caused a bit of a (very understandable) backlog in the approximately 1.4 million packages that are delivered daily across the country.

However, Canada Post is working hard to keep customers happy. They've even extended hours at 400 corporate post offices and added temporary parcel pickup locations.

Though, fear not! 

If all you're looking to do is send a letter to Santa, you've got until tomorrow, December 12, 2019.

And you'll even get a response!

Maybe consider doing this instead of sending any hate towards the hardworking postal workers who are doing overtime to get you your Christmas gifts on time. 

And if you've got a package that doesn't arrive on Christmas day... consider it a lucky belated gift that will extend your Christmas cheer past the 25th!