Goodbye, Black Friday. Move over, Cyber Monday and make room for Green Monday, the biggest shipping day of the year.
Already, Americans are estimated to have spent nearly $25 billion, which is about 15 percent more than last year.
More purchases mean more boxes, and NBC Miami was at the DHL shipping facility on NW 25th Avenue on Monday Supervisor Alex Valdez said he and his staff have seen a spike in package volume this Green Monday over this time last year, especially in the kind of items most of us wouldn’t mind seeing under the tree.
“We see a lot of electronics, bags, we see a lot of toys, gifts, clothes,” Valdez said.
This year’s surge in holiday shipping had been anticipated by DHL, Fed Ex, UPS and the U.S. Postal Service. Each agency planned to increase staffing and modify schedules to accommodate the extra workload.
Although Green Monday, the second Monday in December, is widely accepted as the year’s busiest shipping day, it is not the last before Christmas Day.
“No, it's not late for presents,” said Valdez. “Still, people can send their packages to international destinations, and we still will make it on time.”
International shipping deadlines can vary, but for overnight shipping from UPS or Fed Ex, you have until Dec. 23 to send your items to make sure they arrive by Christmas Day. For the U.S. Postal Service, you’ll have to plan a bit earlier. The cut off for Express Mail shipping is Dec. 22. DHL suggests calling its customer service line at 1-800-CALL-DHL for its most accurate shipping service schedule.
Before you ship, DHL employees suggest you get a fresh, sturdy box, use bubble wrap or other fillers to protect fragile items, and that you neatly label the sending and receiving addresses for your packages.
Online auction site Ebay is credited with first coining the term “Green Monday” five years ago, after seeing a big increase in online shopping the second week of December.
