It's that time of year again when we all begin to do our holiday shopping, online ordering and planning for the gift-giving season that is now upon us.
TL;DR The Canada Post employee strike has led to the potential of holiday gifts not being delivered in time for Christmas. Black Friday deliveries are also in jeopardy. Below are the deadline dates in which packages should be mailed to ensure they are delivered in time.
Most of us get all of the shopping out of the way ahead of time, without too much worry as to whether or not it'll make it for Christmas.
Unfortunately, this year might be a little different. You'll want to make sure your holiday gifts are sent out super early this year, or their delivery might be severely delayed.
Canada Post has reached its fourth week of strikes across the country. If workers don't accept the new offer of increased wages, overtime pay and safety funds, then Christmas might be ruined for some customers. Well, at least special deliveries from "Saint Nick" will be.
With Canada Post delivering the bulk of all holiday shopping, your best bet is to order everything you need for the holiday season ASAP. Want to make sure you don't miss the latest deadline? Luckily Canada Post has released the official last dates to ship a package so that it arrives on time for the holidays.
In Canada, the deadline to ensure package arrival before Christmas is:
- Priority - December 21
- Xpresspost - December 20
- Regular Parcel - December 11
Sending presents to the U.S.? Here are the deadlines you should keep in mind:
- Priority Worldwide - December 19
- Xpresspost U.S. - December 14
- Parcels/Packets - December 10
You'll definitely want to have all holiday shopping ready to go by these dates at the very latest, otherwise it'll be a very disappointing Christmas this year. Still, there's no guarantee your packages will arrive on time.
The Canada Post website makes clear that the "dates are subject to change without notice." And given the unpredictable nature of the strike and the already-severe backlog of packages, it might be best to mail your gifts much, much sooner.
@retrociteOn top of these holiday delays, Canada Post has also confirmed that any online Black Friday shoppers will be facing delivery delays as well. Just don't expect to receive ANY packages on time this season.
With no sign of the Canada Post employee strike coming to an end soon, we can only imagine sending and receiving gifts for Christmas will be a total holiday disaster.
Stay tuned for more information on Canada Post delays and employee strikes.
