Atlanta, October 29, 2012 - Global Volume Increase with Rise in Online Shopping; 55,000 Seasonal Workers to Help Deliver 527 Million Packages; "UPS My Choice" Service Offers More Control over Deliveries??UPS (NYSE: UPS) will give its customers the gift of hassle-free holidays again this year by providing them with greater control over their home deliveries with UPS My ChoiceSM as it prepares to deliver more than half a billion packages around the world this holiday season, an all-time record for the global logistics giant.
UPS expects to deliver 527 million packages between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, surpassing last year's record of 480 million. The company predicts its busiest day of the year will be Thursday, Dec. 20, when an estimated 28 million packages will be delivered around the world – the equivalent of more than 300 packages delivered every second of the day. On an average day, UPS delivers 15.8 million packages.
To handle this massive increase in volume, UPS will hire 55,000 seasonal employees across the U.S. to work as driver helpers, package sorters, loaders or unloaders. For more information on job opportunities visit: upsjobs.com or the UPSjobs page on Facebook.
UPS peak air day is projected to top 6.5 million deliveries compared to normal daily air volume of 3 million packages. UPS will fly more than 400 additional flight segments per day to facilitate on-time delivery of holiday gifts across the world.
Once again, trends show the popularity of e-commerce and mobile accessibility are likely to delay online shopping and compress deliveries into the final two weeks before Christmas. UPS expects online tracking requests to reach more than 69 million on its peak tracking day, Tuesday, Dec. 18, as holiday shipments surge.
Hassle-Free Holidays
Celebrating its second holiday season, UPS My Choice helps consumers avoid those "sorry we missed you" notices left on doors by providing registered members with free digital alerts the day before a package arrives. If the initial delivery time doesn't work, there are options to reschedule or reroute the package. Nearly 2 million users have already signed up for the service. To sign up for UPS My Choice, visit ups.com/MyChoice/PR.
"UPS provides total logistics solutions for both shippers and consumers, whether they're doing business in online retail or traditional brick and mortar stores, or both," said Alan Gershenhorn, UPS chief sales and marketing officer. "These solutions make the entire transaction seamless, transparent and hassle-free, from the point of sale to final delivery as well as handling returns and repairs. This gives UPS customers the best possible experience by helping them better manage their already busy schedules, especially during the holidays."
Give Mother Nature a Gift
For environmentally-conscious gift givers, UPS offers carbon neutral shipping. For as little as five cents, customers can select UPS's carbon neutral option at the end of the online shipping process to offset the carbon emissions associated with their shipments and support globally recognized environmental projects.
Shipping Tips for Consumers
With 21 shipping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, consumers can help ensure their packages reach their destination on time by knowing a few key shipping deadlines. Most UPS ground packages will reach their destinations in one-to-three days. Last-minute shoppers who ship their packages Friday, Dec. 21, can rely on UPS Next Day Air(R) for delivery by Monday, Dec. 24.
About UPS
UPS (NYSE: UPS) is a global leader in logistics, offering a broad range of solutions including the transportation of packages and freight; the facilitation of international trade, and the deployment of advanced technology to more efficiently manage the world of business. Headquartered in Atlanta, UPS serves more than 220 countries and territories worldwide. The company can be found on the Web at UPS.com and its corporate blog can be found at blog.ups.com.
