UPS, USPS and FedEx: Holiday shipping choices

‘Tis the season to mail.

Shoppers and gift-givers make this the busiest time of the year for delivery services, and some parcel carriers are experiencing historic demands.

FedEx expects to load up 16 million shipments worldwide on Dec. 13, which would make it the busiest day in the company's history. Atlanta-based United Parcel Service should handle about 24 million shipments Dec. 22, its busiest day -- though not much busier than last year's busiest day. Though somewhat shrunken from last year, the U.S. Postal Service is the behemoth delivery service, handling 12.9 billion packages between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, and 2.9 billion pieces of mail.

Customers for FedEx, UPS and the USPS can choose a variety of ways to send peanut brittle to Aunt Minnie. And overnight and second-day options will allow holiday procrastinators to wait until the last minute, or at least the 11th hour.

We planned to send a 12-by-12-by-6-inch box weighing three pounds and bearing a sweater, a hat, gloves, a book, some compact discs and -- what the heck -- peanut brittle, from downtown Atlanta to our friends in Crete, Illinois.

Using the online calculators offered by all three services, we determined that if we sent such a box Thursday we could expect to pay the following prices for overnight, second-day and regular delivery times to a residence:

U.S. Postal Service:

With 27,000 retail facilities, it's not difficult to find a U.S. post office. On the other hand, lengthy lines and long wait times are not unusual this time of year. Dropped off before 5 p.m. in some locations, 4 p.m. in others, the package will have the following arrival times:

Express Mail: Arrives in Crete by 3 p.m. Fri., Dec 10. Cost: $31.20.

Priority Mail: Arrives on Sat., Dec. 11. Cost: $7.50.

Parcel Post: The package will take five days, arriving Tues., Dec. 14. Cost: $7.05

Buying postage for some of these methods online (at www.usps.com/) will knock between 15 and 90 cents off the price. The U.S. Postal Service also offers single rates for flat boxes (large: $14.50, medium $10.70, small $4.95): if you can fit it in, it's one price, no matter the weight. All are delivered in two days as Priority Mail.

United Parcel Service

There are 4,400 UPS retail locations in the U.S. and another 8,000 third-party retailers, such as some Mailbox Etc. and Staples locations. You can find out the nearest one at www.ups.com/. With a drop-off time as late as 8 p.m. (scheduling by 7 p.m.) services are as follows:

UPS Next Day Air Early: Arrives by 8:30 a.m. Fri., Dec. 10. cost: $95.54.

UPS Next Day Air: Arrives by 10:30 a.m. Fri., Dec. 10. cost: $61.44.

UPS Next Day Air Saver: Arrives by the end of the day Fri., Dec. 10; cost: $56.49.

UPS 2nd Day Air: Arrives by end of the day Sat., Dec. 11; cost: $38.50.

UPS 2nd Day Air: Arrives by the end of the day Mon., Dec. 13; cost: $22.

UPS Ground: Arrives by end of the day Monday. Cost: $11.66. UPS Ground delivers typically in one to five days.

Federal Express

There are 9,300 FedEx locations around the globe, including authorized partners, retail outlets and shipping centers. FedEx packages must be prepared and delivered to the FedEx retail outlet or authorized shipping center by the cut-off time listed on the website, fedex.com/us:

FedEx Priority Overnight: Arrives by 10.30 a.m. Fri., Dec. 10; cost: $61.44

FedEx Standard Overnight: Arrives by 3 p.m Fri., Dec. 10; cost: $56.49

FedEx 2Day: Arrives by 4.30 p.m., Sat., Dec. 11; cost: $38.50

FedEx 2Day: Arrives by 7 p.m. Mon., Dec. 13; cost: $22.00

FedEx Express Saver: Arrives by 7 p.m., Tues., Dec. 14: cost: $17.44