DANIEL TYLER GOODEN / L’Observateur / December 20, 2000

LAPLACE – Don’t lose your holiday packages in the mail. With modern shippingtechnology, most carrier companies are asking costumers to move away from wrapping packages in brown paper and string.

The strings and paper can get tangled in the various modern machinery currently in use for shipping, said Tanya Shorter, customer relations officer with the United States Postal Service. The paper can get torn, leaving thepackages lost with no mailing address.

“Pack your gifts and packages in a sturdy corrugated box,” said Shorter. Useproper shipping tape, not desktop tape, to properly secure the box. It isrecommended the packages be packed with bubble padding or newspaper.

“All the shipping and packing supplies are available at your local post office,” said Shorter. Also, make sure you write the address clearly and neatly on thepackage to avoid mix-ups, she added.

Free shipping boxes are supplied with certain services. Both Priority andExpress mail have their own boxes. Priority Mail will get your gift to its homein two to three days. Express Mail is a next-day service, which is alsoguaranteed and offers a delivery confirmation option.

The most economical service offered by the post office is Parcel Post. Theservice will deliver the packages within five to 10 business days, said Shorter.

With Christmas approaching quickly it’s best to get on the ball if your special packages and mail are going to arrive on time.

“The sooner you send them the better,” said Shorter.

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