Express Your Love On Valentine’s Day

Sending Gifts by Express Mail Ensures On-Time Arrival

WASHINGTON, DC — Last-minute gift-givers need not worry: Customers can ship Valentine’s Day gifts as late as Feb. 13 for guaranteed Feb. 14 delivery using the U.S. Postal Service’s Express Mail service.

Express Mail, the Postal Service’s premier package service, provides overnight delivery to most destinations nationwide at prices lower than other carriers, and includes a money-back guarantee, tracking, proof of delivery, and insurance at no additional cost.

Unlike the expedited services offered by other companies, Express Mail has no hidden surcharges. Other commercial carriers have increased their rates for 2008 and have surcharges for residential delivery and fuel costs that are often higher than the base price of shipping. Express Mail has just one fixed price to most destinations in the United States.

“Express Mail is the only overnight service that delivers 365 days a year, and we offer it at a competitive price, with a guarantee,” said U.S. Postal Service Express Mail Services Vice President Gary Reblin.

Customers can even send Express Mail without leaving their homes. By visiting usps.com, customers can print shipping labels and postage for Express Mail and schedule a postal carrier to pick packages up through Carrier Pickup or Pickup on Demand services. Customers can also use usps.com to look up ZIP Codes and find nearby USPS Express Mail collection boxes or Post Offices.

USPS Express Mail includes insurance up to $100 against loss or damage at no additional cost, as well as signature proof of delivery upon request and tracking information. The Postal Service also offers ecologically sound packaging at no additional cost.

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation — 146 million homes and businesses. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.