Viola Williams gets an early start on mailing packages at the Post Office Friday. The Pilot/Lorna Rodriguez

Brookings resident Viola Williams, one of the thousands of Americans shipping packages this holiday season, was at the Brookings U.S. Post Office Friday with a package for a relative in Idaho. 

She always mails her packages early. 

“I used to work in a mail room,” she said. “They always said the 10th of the month would be good to mail things by. I wouldn’t like a rush.”

 Brookings resident Mikki Pate mails her packages early as well, “to avoid rushes number one, and I just get my shopping done early anyways,” Pate said.

Pate shops three months ahead of time so that she can enjoy December.

She’s mailed packages before the deadline for at least 10 seasons, she said.

Friday, she mailed a package to her son and granddaughter in Nevada.

In Brookings and Harbor, residents can send packages using several local businesses, including Village Express, Boardwalk Mail Services, United Parcel Service (UPS), the Harbor Post Office and the Brookings Post Office.

Village Express 

Customers can opt to ship packages  via UPS or U.S. Postal Service (USPS) at Village Express, located 855 Railroad St.

Village Express is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Between now and Christmas, the store will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays, store owner Mike Roberts said.

The store offers the same packing services as UPS and USPS, he said.

“Anything you can do at the Post Office, we can do here,” Roberts said.

The deadline for packages to arrive by Christmas for UPS is Dec. 20 for three-day shipping, and Dec. 22 for two-day shipping.

Village Express receives up to 100 packages a day as the holidays approach.

“To be honest with you, that’s the main part of our business,” Roberts said. “Just like with shopping, with Christmas sales, that’s true for shipping companies too.”

Village Express is usually busy from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

“During the Christmas season, it doesn’t slow down by much,” Roberts said. 

He said that he has customers who prefer to ship packages early, and customers who tend to wait until the last minute.

“The bulk of your people will probably come in the week before Christmas, and two weeks before Christmas,” Roberts said.

Roberts also encourages customers to use plenty of packing (plastic peanuts) or bubble wrap when packing fragile items and to leave about 2 inches of padding between the item and the outer edge of the box.

“We enjoy meeting all the people,” he said. “That’s the big thing. We enjoy helping people get their packages safely wrapped up and shipped off to their loved ones.”

Harbor Post Office

The Harbor Post Office, located at 97900 Shopping Center Ave., is open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. 

It receives hundreds of packages a day in the weeks leading up to Christmas, clerk Carolyn Brace said. 

Brace encourages people to avoid arriving too close to closing time; the post office  needs to have items ready to ship by 2:30 p.m.

The deadline for foreign packages is Dec. 10. She was not sure what the deadline is for domestic packages.

Brace said traffic has been slow for the week after Thanksgiving, but started to pick up Friday.

The post office sells flat rate and priority boxes, but people need to pack items on their own, Brace said.

“Everybody is so cheerful,” Brace said. “I think that’s the best part.”

Boardwalk Mail Services

Boardwalk Mail Services, located in the Port of Brookings Harbor at 16340 Lower Harbor Road is open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.

The store is an authorized FedEx shipping and return center, an authorized UPS shipping center and offers USPS services. It offers standard packing services.

“The sooner you can ship it, the better off you are,”  said co-owner Nanett Villalvazo said.

Villalvazo said sales increase by about 50 percent during the holiday season. 

“People bring in gifts ready to go, and we have to package them,” she said “The challenge is ... to find the right box. It’s a fun challenge.”

Most people come in mid-afternoon, she said. 

Once, she helped a gentleman ship a table via Greyhound bus. The previous owner once shipped wagon wheels, Villalvazo said. 

“It’s all about the people,”  Villalvazo said. “My husband (Chris) packages while I do the shipping, and it’s a lot of fun.”

United Parcel Service

The UPS facility at 98071 Benham Lane receives 25 to 30 packages on an average day, and 50 to 75 on busy days, customer counter associate Lori Gault said.

The store is open Monday through Friday from 10:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.

The store offers customers packing materials and will help customers pack their packages if there is time.

Currently, all levels of service are open, but, toward the end of the third week of December, only ground and three-day shipping will be available. The store will continue to do next day air through Dec. 23, Gault said.

She said that most people wait until the last minute, but are willing to pay the extra costs. 

“Our goal is to get all the packages to the customers so that they have them in time for Christmas,” Gault said.

The farthest she has had to ship a package is Australia, and Gault has had to decline packages.

“Oh yeah, you’ve gotta be a detective sometimes,” she said.

Gault advises customers to make sure that the boxes are like new, and to leave plenty of cushioning when packing items.

“I love visiting with the people,” Gault said. “ I love seeing return customers. The same customers come back year after year.”

Brookings Post Office

The Brookings Post Office, located at 711 Spruce St. is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

The Curry Coastal Pilot’s attempts to get more information from a post office official Friday were unsuccessful.