Volume at the UPS hub office in Louisville, Kentucky, is 50 percent over normal

In this story: Heavy load Volume surge driven by dot-coms RELATED STORIES, SITES

December 17, 1999
Web posted at: 4:29 p.m. EST (2129 GMT)

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (CNN) -- Christmas is still eight days off, but December 17 is "Peak Day" in the package shipping business -- the height of the holiday rush.

And while some online merchants warn they can't promise items ordered now will arrive on time, delivery companies say they anticipate no delays -- as long as shippers act promptly.

AUDIO This UPS employee says he handles a big volume of packages 50K/04 sec. AIFF or WAV sound     AUDIO This UPS worker says the holiday season is hectic 61K/12 sec. AIFF or WAV sound

It's a promise backed up by hectic, round-the clock activity at the United Parcel Service (UPS) air hub in Louisville, Kentucky. "We run additional sorting operations. We add a lot of seasonal help. We lease a lot of additional vehicles and a lot of additional aircraft," says operations manager Jon Barrie.

Heavy load

To avoid holiday disappointment, shippers -- whether companies or individuals -- also have to do their part. The delivery service Airborne Express offers these hints:

• Send critical shipments early
• Make sure addresses and Zip Codes are complete and correct
• Write the delivery address and billing information firmly and legibly -- typewritten is best.
• Securely close and seal packages

Such precautions pay off in the face of the huge volume of packages crisscrossing the world for the year-end holidays. UPS alone says it expects to handle nearly 18 million ground and air packages on Peak Day -- an increase of more than 40 percent over its average daily volume.

Volume at the company's Louisville hub is up even more during the holiday rush -- it's 50 percent over normal, with more than 600,000 packages handled recently on just one overnight shift.

Volume surge driven by dot-coms

The explosion of e-shopping has helped fuel that rise. "Instead of seeing one out of every 15 or 20 packages with dot-com on it, you're now seeing one out of every six, eight or ten with dot-com on it," Barrie told CNN.

But after online buyers point and click -- and assuming the seller has the item in stock -- it's up to the delivery services to complete the transaction.

	Packaging tips
Select a box that's strong enough to protect the contents. Leave space for cushioning inside the carton. Cushion package contents with shredded or rolled newspaper, bubble wrap, or Styrofoam peanuts. Carefully pack glass and fragile hollow items, like vases, with newspaper or packing material to avoid damage due to shock. When mailing framed photographs, take the glass out of the frame and wrap it separately. Remove batteries from toys. Wrap and place them in the box next to the toys. More tips Source: U.S. Postal Service

Last holiday season, UPS delivered more than half of all online purchases. The Postal Service handled a third, followed by Federal Express.

Some delivery companies try to lure consumer business by turning their Web sites into shopping malls. The FedEx site, for example, includes a section called MarketPlace which contains links to retailers that have agreed to use the delivery service.

The passage of Peak Day and its heavy volume of packages doesn't mean the holiday crush is over. In fact, the closer Christmas gets, the more procrastinators will have to skip ground transport and depend on planes to get gifts delivered to faraway places.

When it comes to packages, don't box yourself into a corner. A UPS package handler in Louisville puts it simply: "Please get them in there now." Emphasis on now.

Correspondent Patty Davis contributed to this report, written by Jim Morris

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