More flexibility is coming in the post. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
Australia Post is shaking up its delivery schedule to include weekends – but there’s a catch!
Weekend deliveries are being launched in state and territory capitals and some regional cities and towns from this Saturday (22 November).
It means deliveries will be made on Saturday and Sunday.
Australia Post executive general manager of parcel, post and e-commerce services Gary Starr said the additional services would help ensure customers receive their parcels on time.
“With Black Friday and Cyber Monday just around the corner, we’re expecting to see a significant spike in parcel volumes and online spending activity,” he said.
“In preparation, we’ve brought on thousands of additional team members and expanded our delivery options – including more self-service Parcel Lockers and extended Post Office trading hours – to make collecting parcels easier than ever.”
It’s a little different if you live regionally – weekend deliveries are on the cards, but their routes will be determined by parcel volume.
An Australia Post spokesperson said while it remained to be seen which cities and towns would qualify, Batemans Bay, Bega, Bowral, Cooma, Goulburn, Narooma, Griffith, Young and Wagga Wagga were among those to make the cut last year.
The new weekend deliveries are set to remain in place until Christmas, depending on volumes.
“Last year we delivered nearly 103 million parcels over the Black Friday sales period, and we’re ready to go even bigger this holiday season,” Mr Starr said.
Australia Post also recently announced its Christmas deadlines, with dates depending on parcel size, intended destination and the method chosen.
Parcels should be sent by 19 December (for interstate deliveries) or 22 December (for same-state deliveries). The Express Post deadline is 23 December.
Those in regional and remote areas, plus in Western Australia, Northern Territory or Tasmania, are encouraged to leave a few extra days before that last date.
For the full list of domestic and international deadlines, visit Australia Post’s website.
