
How Can You Use USPS On Weekends For Delivering Your Business Mail?
Do you remember the scene in Grown-Ups, where the “big-city” boy asks his father what the thing on the back of the TV is? The scene shows how ignorant or unaware the new generation is about the past. And no one can blame the kids either, because it’s the natural course of life.
Just like that, no one can blame a new-age digital marketer or business owner for their limited knowledge of postal mail. However, marketers and business owners that want to use direct mail for their business organisation should learn the basics of mailing. It includes sending your business mail on weekends and holidays.
People who depend solely on digital marketing do not realise that accessing USPS on weekends is not always possible. You can’t just send your marketing or communication message via mail whenever you feel like it. And it is especially true when it comes to pre-sorting and sending bulk mail.
One of our clients, a leading marketing company, learned this the hard way after manually mailing postcards using in-house print shops. The client sent 1000 to 3000 mailings, and the process was a mess until PostGrid stepped in and solved the problem.
We helped the client optimise the sending of their postcards according to the timing of USPS on weekends for better communication. Our REST API could integrate seamlessly with the client’s CRM. We even use a scheduling feature to ensure on-time delivery of their postcards.
As a result, we could easily optimise the client’s communication and marketing efforts. Here, we discuss the delivery of your business mail using USPS on weekends. We look closely at weekend mail delivery and how you can optimise communication.
USPS On Weekends
USPS is a familiar name for anyone living in the United States and perhaps, outside the US. The United States Postal Service, or USPS, is one of the largest postal service providers in the world. As an organisation serving the country for decades, it helped build the postal and addressing system that we have today.
Even the ZIP code system we use for our addresses is all thanks to the USPS. But does that mean USPS is perfect in every way? Probably not, but you can say the same for everything else. Perfection is a myth that wise humans have learned to strive for but never expect. The perfect postal service is ALWAYS available and even delivers mail on weekends and holidays.
You must remember that USPS is, after all, a Federal Agency. And in case it escaped your attention, most federal or government offices do not work on weekends. But wait, we are NOT saying that USPS on weekends is as inaccessible as Voldemort’s Horcruxes. But there are some limitations or exceptions for USPS delivery on weekends.
Does USPS Deliver Mail On Weekends?
Weekends are often a busy time for business organisations. Most people are not working and enjoying their hard-earned free time doing nothing and everything. It is the perfect time for businesses to target their prospective customers using both email capture tools and instruments for improving their physical mail delivery. 98% of people open their mailboxes practically every day, but only the mail on weekends gets the attention it deserves.
Why?
Because, on weekends, your target is not rushing to go to the office, college, etc., and they likely have some time to spare. Another reason a business may prefer sending their mail on weekends is that the competition is slightly less. Of course, it all comes down to how relevant your message, product, or service is to the target.
However, in real-life, businesses usually want to send mail on weekends in urgent or time-sensitive cases. As we discuss this further, you will understand the reason behind this. Another question about weekend mail delivery is how Saturday and Sunday deliveries differ. Or are they different at all?
Does USPS Deliver On Saturday?
The short answer here is yes, USPS does deliver mail on Saturdays. And it may not come as a surprise to you that USPS delivers on Saturdays because it is not uncommon among business institutions. But does that mean USPS works as usual and sends its mail on weekends or Saturdays?
Remember, USPS is not just a business. It is a federal organisation, which means that not all USPS postal services qualify for USPS weekend delivery. You can send your business mail via USPS on a Saturday if it’s a Priority Mail or Priority Mail Express item. Although Saturdays are business days for USPS, it usually only delivers Priority Mail on Saturdays.
Suppose you send mail to the customer via First-Class Mail service from the USPS. In that case, it is only wishful thinking to hope that USPS will deliver your mail on weekends, including Saturdays. The same goes for USPS’s other standard mailing service, including media mail products. In other words, USPS primarily delivers Priority Mail Express and Priority Mail items on Saturdays.
USPS Delivery Hours On Saturdays
As we explained, delivering USPS weekend delivery is not the norm but the exception for postal service providers like USPS. It is not unusual for USPS to send your mail on a Saturday. However, it is not the same as a mid-week working day because fewer people are working at that time.
Hence, you should not expect the standard delivery time on weekends. In reality, the delivery time of USPS deliveries on Saturday can vary depending on several factors, such as
- Mail volume.
- The distance between the USPS office/warehouse to the destination.
- Type or class of postal mail service.
There is no difference between a delivery person’s Saturday and a regular working day. The delivery person can blow off work or skip USPS delivery weekend because it is a Saturday. They are duty-bound to make all the deliveries on their delivery list.
Suppose the USPS is handling a relatively lower number of deliveries. In that case, your business mail will likely reach its destination early. Similarly, suppose USPS delivery is having a busy day delivering high numbers of mail on weekends. In that case, the delivery can take longer.
Does USPS Deliver On Sunday?
Yes, USPS does deliver mail on Sundays. Surprisingly, USPS works relentlessly despite being a federal organisation. Many assume that since USPS is a federal entity, they just lay around doing nothing like Newman from Seinfeld. And most of them don’t even bother to ask does USPS deliver on weekends.
There is a scene in Seinfeld where Newman, a postal worker, stays home for days without going to work because it’s raining. However, the real story is much different from the comedy. Today, the average delivery time for First-Class Mail is just 2.1 days. Similarly, most companies that use USPS weekend delivery have no problem with the services USPS offers.
As you can guess, USPS does not mail every letter on a Sunday. For accessing Sunday delivery services from USPS, your mailpiece should either be a Priority Mail package or an Amazon Package. Yes, you heard it right. USPS has partnered with Amazon since 2013 and delivers Amazon mail on weekends and holidays.
You don’t need us to tell you how fast Amazon deliveries are when you order something. That should more than answer your doubts about USPS’s reliability.
USPS Delivery Hours On Sundays
You may already know that Priority Mail Express is USPS’s fastest postal mail delivery service. Furthermore, the service is available throughout the year. If you already knew this, it shouldn’t be surprising to learn that USPS delivers on weekends, including Sundays.
USPS guarantees the delivery of their Priority Mail Express package by 6 pm. Hence, you can expect the delivery of your business mail by six in the evening, even on a Sunday. But in most cases, USPS ensures mail delivery on weekends by 10:30 am for Priority Mail Express items.
Moving on to Amazon Packages, USPS on weekends gets a little more interesting. As you know, Amazon is one of the biggest names in eCommerce. And one of the reasons for its immense success is fast and efficient product delivery. USPS keeps up the same standards set by Amazon. It means an Amazon Prime user may receive their mail on a Sunday even if they place the order on a Friday.
So, the all-important answer to the question, “Does USPS deliver on weekends?” Yes!
USPS Working Times on Weekends
The USPS working hours is an interesting topic because there are several aspects to consider here. Because some questions remain, such as does USPS deliver on weekends if you send it on a Friday or Saturday?
As you know, the mail delivery of your letter happens in stages. First, you hand the letters to USPS, verify them, and sort and forward them. USPS has specific hours of operation, such as
- Retail Hours
- Lobby Hours
- Last Collection Hours
- Bulk Mail Acceptance Hours
- Self-Service Kiosks
- PO Box Delivery Time
- Pick-Up Services
- PO Box Access Hours
Retail Hours
Typically, USPS Postmasters offer you retail services for almost 9 hours on a regular working day. It only changes if authorised personnel, like the district manager, authorise it. As you can guess, the retail hours are the time when regular customers can access postal services. You may remember how we discussed that USPS on weekends could have different working hours than the standard ones.
The following postal operations or services are only available during retail hours.
- Buy stamps (from the post office).
- PO Box packages mailing and delivering.
- Buy money orders.
- Send military money.
However, it is worth noting that the working time and retail hours of a post office can vary for mail on weekends and weekdays. And hence, the retail hours can also vary depending on the post office from where you send the mail.
Some post offices have the same working hours for every working day of the week, including Saturdays. On the other hand, some post offices have earlier or later working hours than usual on Saturdays. Hence, make it a point to check out the working hours of your nearest USPS on weekends. It is also possible that some post offices do not open at all on weekends.
Lobby Hours
A USPS customer can access their PO boxes anytime during retail hours. It also means the post office lobby is accessible during this time unless the post office has a separate Post Office box lobby. However, the Postmaster has the authority to keep the halls open to allow the customers to access self-service kiosks or PO boxes.
It would be best to remember that USPS on weekends may have different working hours than usual. And the Postmaster’s decision to let customers access their mail is entirely discretionary. The Postmaster is responsible for ensuring customer safety and even police protection if it is deemed necessary by the inspection service.
Last Collection Hours
It is the last time (or hour) of the day when a post office collects mailers for processing. The collection and processing of the mailers happen on the same day. For instance, let’s say you post a letter on a Friday after the last collection hours. In this situation, does the mail ship on weekends and holidays?
The answer is no because USPS won’t postmark that mailer until Monday. The best approach here is to go to the local post office from where you want to mail and check their last collection hours. Knowing this is essential to ensure easy and accurate USPS weekend delivery for your business.
Bulk Mail Acceptance Hours
The bulk mail acceptance hours are probably the most crucial postal hours for business communication. You don’t send out half a dozen brochures or invoices to your target audience or customers. A company’s marketing or communication efforts always send hundreds or thousands of printed materials, including on USPS weekends and holidays.
The bulk mail acceptance hours differ slightly from the retail hours, as the former starts somewhat late. You might think you could at least submit your bulk mail a little late too. But unfortunately, that is not the case. The bulk mail acceptance hours end several hours earlier than retail hours. Hence, if you don’t want your mail on weekends arriving late, make sure you are not late.
The logic behind this timing is that USPS doesn’t want an overflow of bulk mail orders, which generally takes longer to process. It also allows USPS to allocate time for other services, including processing mail on weekends and holidays.
As you can see, sending bulk mail by yourself is still complex and has a high scope of error. You can avoid all such issues by opting for PostGrid’s direct mail automation software. Our automated solution can print personalised materials and bulk mail them to your target audience. You can schedule the mailing to ensure you don’t miss the mail on weekends.
Self-Service Kiosks
Self-service kiosks can be a lifesaver for people who can never get to a place on time, regardless of how hard they try. Generally, the self-service kiosks are operational twenty-four hours a day. Practically, anyone can access it to send their mail on weekends, including Sundays.
The kiosk can do everything from printing stamps to mailing your letter. However, it is not an ideal choice for sending business mail on weekends because of the bulk mail requirements. But for personal or non-bulk mailing, the self-service kiosks are perfect for the job.
Passport Services
Many of you may be unaware of this. Still, USPS also provides services like Passport appointments, and they have special time allocations. People can simply walk into the USPS post office only during their allocated time slot.
PO Box Delivery Time
Another crucial time or hour you should familiarise yourself with is the PO box delivery time. Many customers may use a PO box address to receive their mail. Understanding if your customers can receive their mail from their PO box in USPS on weekends is vital. In most cases, USPS does not deliver mail or packages to PO boxes on weekends.
USPS Pick-Up Services
One of the most significant selling points of USPS Priority Mail services is their free pickup service for mail. However, the service is generally popular among customers who use a PO box for receiving their mail. Companies don’t prefer the pickup service because it is unavailable for their mail on weekends.
PO Box Access Hours
In some post offices or USPS centres, the PO box location is not the same as the post office. The bright side of using such PO boxes is that they are accessible twenty-four hours a day. Furthermore, USPS requires the facility to have robust security and safety measures. Hence, you don’t have to worry about your mail on weekends getting destroyed or vanishing before reaching the audience.
Does USPS Run On Weekends?
It is one thing that USPS delivers mail on weekends and quite another that USPS runs on weekends. Just because USPS makes special deliveries on weekends does not mean that weekends are regular working days.
Some people receive USPS mail on the weekend and assume that the postal service provider works every day of the week. Below, we discuss the accessibility of USPS on weekends and when you can access postal services at the post office.
Are USPS Post Offices Open On Saturdays?
Yes, USPS post offices do open on Saturdays. But not all of them. The working hours of post offices can differ depending on their location. And this difference in working hours is especially true for Saturdays at USPS post offices. In other words, USPS on weekends can have significantly different working hours.
There are three possible scenarios for USPS post offices working on a Saturday.
- The post office isn’t open at all.
- The post office has limited working hours (late opening/early closing on Saturdays).
- The post office has regular working hours on Saturdays.
Not to sound like Master Oogway, who always speaks in vague terms. But, there is no clear answer that we can give you regarding USPS on weekends. And the best way to ensure that a post office works on Saturdays is to check directly with them.
USPS Working Times on Saturdays
Use the USPS locator to find the working hours of post offices in your area. Once you use the tool and see the operating hours for different post offices, you can understand they all work at various times. However, in most cases, the USPS post office functions from 7–10 am to 5–9 pm. You can also find that USPS on weekends is closed or has limited working hours.
Are USPS Post Offices Open On Sundays?
Most USPS post offices are closed on Sundays. The primary reason why USPS on weekends doesn’t open on Sundays is to minimise its operating costs. So, USPS offices working on Sundays are not the norm but the exception. Here are two main exceptions where USPS opens some of its post offices to the public.
Sundays Before Christmas Day
USPS ensures uninterrupted mail on weekends during the holiday season by opening some post offices two Sundays before Christmas. It allows USPS to increase the mail processing capacity and deliver a more significant number of mailers.
Retail Store Post Offices
You can find some USPS post offices inside various stores. And a few such post offices are open 7-day-per-week. Hence, you can always try finding a post office to send your mailers.
USPS Working Times on Sundays
Similar to the USPS working hours on Saturdays, the USPS also has limited working hours on Sundays. However, finding a USPS post office open on a Sunday is significantly more challenging.
Opening Time For USPS On Weekends
Now that you know USPS delivers mail on weekends, it is time that we talk about the opening time of USPS. Because let’s face it, if you are desperate enough to spend extra money on weekend deliveries, you are most likely sending essential documents. And they are most likely of a time-sensitive nature too.
In which case, to ensure that your business mail reaches its destination on time, you may want to send your mail ASAP. Furthermore, most business organisations send mail (especially bulk) directly from the post office. But how soon can you access USPS on weekends? What is the opening time for a USPS post office?
Generally, most USPS post offices are open from 8:30 am. However, that is not always the case. The 8:30 am working time is for regular weekdays. The opening time of USPS can be between 8:00 am and 10:00 am.
For instance, consider the example of USPS post offices in Hewitt, a city in Texas. Their opening time is 7:30 am, a full hour earlier than the standard opening time of most USPS offices. Furthermore, the opening hours of USPS on weekends are different.
USPS Opening Time On Saturdays
The opening hours of USPS on weekends are typically different from the opening hours of USPS on weekdays. However, that’s not always the case. Some post offices open at the same time every day, including Saturdays. The post office usually begins working around two hours later than the standard opening time.
Keep this in mind before packing up your bulk mail and going to the USPS post office early in the morning. If you do, you will only end up waiting for USPS to open their office. Let’s take the example of the Hewitt post office again. Typically, the Hewitt post office opens at 7:30 am. Interestingly, USPS on weekends opens the Hewitt post office simultaneously.
However, if we consider another USPS post office like Downtown Waco, their weekday opening time is 8:00 am. However, USPS on weekends opens the same post office at 10:00 am. So, the best thing you can do here is to check the opening time of your local post office.
Of course, an even better way to do it is to use an automation solution like PostGrid to take care of all your mailing. You can use PostGrid to schedule your marketing and communication materials mailing. And the system will take care of everything for you. As a result, you no longer have to worry about USPS on weekends.
USPS Opening Time On Sunday
Sundays are a lot trickier when it comes to the opening hours of USPS on weekends. Why? Because USPS post offices do not open on Sundays. Sunday is a holiday for USPS post offices. So, how do they deliver your business mail on Sundays?
Well, USPS does not put a stop to their delivery services, even on Sundays. And practically, they don’t need to open the post office to the public to deliver mail on weekends, especially on Sundays. So, don’t try to send your business bulk mail on a Sunday using Priority Mail Express and hope to deliver it on Monday. It does not work like that.
However, if you have a direct mail automation tool like PostGrid, you could set the whole thing up within minutes. PostGrid offers a template gallery and customisation ability for sending different types of marketing materials.
You can integrate PostGrid’s REST API with your CRM solutions like HubSpot and Salesforce. Once you finish setting it up, PostGrid can automatically send your mail to the USPS. Of course, we are not saying we can make USPS send you mail on Sundays. But, we can ensure no delay in shipping your mail on weekends.
How To Ensure Delivery Of Your Mail On Weekends Using Automation?
As with everything else, automation can optimise your mailing process. We are not saying that sending your business bulk mail yourself is impossible. Direct mail automation solutions like PostGrid have advanced features to maximise your mail on weekends and holidays.
Here are some features of PostGrid’s direct mail automation tool that allow you to automate your mail on weekends and streamline your business communication.
Scheduled Mail
PostGrid lets you automatically send your business mailers using a pre-made schedule. You can schedule your mail early and ensure that the customer receives your printed material on time. Hence, you can use a cheaper USPS service like First-Class Mail and still deliver your mail on time. As a result, you can save money on USPS weekend delivery.
Priority Mail Queueing and Order Routing
Our direct mail tool also supports Priority Mail Queueing and Order Routing for your business communication. It is a great way to ensure that your mail on weekends always reaches its destination on time.
Priority Express Mailing
PostGrid also supports Priority Express mailing for your business communication. The automated system can conveniently choose the best envelope and postage for your mailer and deliver it via USPS. Hence, you save a bunch of time in mail processing and ensure the optimal delivery time for your business mail on weekends and holidays.
Other Features
PostGrid offers numerous other features to improve and enhance your business’s mail communication, such as
- Metadata Tagging
- Intelligent Mail Barcode or IMB Tracking
- Per Piece Proof of Mailing with Receipt
- Access To Mailing History
- Standard Mail Tracking
- Service Level Guarantees or SLAs
- Return Envelopes
- Send via CSV for Bulk Mailings
- Registered Mail
- Certified Mail
- Custom Envelopes
Conclusion
It is not always possible to access USPS on weekends to deliver your urgent business mailers. However, with the right tools like PostGrid, you can maximise the deliverability of your business mailers.
Advanced direct mail automation tools like PostGrid can automate the entire mailing process. In addition, PostGrid lets you schedule your mail on weekends and ensure on-time delivery.
Furthermore, PostGrid supports Priority and Priority Mail Express mailing, which you need for sending mail on weekends. In other words, PostGrid offers the perfect solution for sending personalised mail to your audience with zero delays.

