Memorial Day – May 29, Are USPS, UPS, FedEx Open Today?
Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States honoring U.S. military personnel who have died while serving in the United States armed forces.
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It is observed on the last Monday of May and at 3:00 pm local time, Americans are asked to take part in the National Moment of Remembrance to pause for a duration of one minute to remember those who have died in military service to the United States.
On Memorial Day, most government offices, the United States Postal Service, UPS, FedEx, other carriers/delivery companies, banks, and many non-retail businesses are closed.
USPS
What is closed today or not operational today at USPS?
- No counter operations at retail post offices around the country.
- No regular mail delivery.
- No regular mail pick-up.
- No mail pickup from USPS mailboxes.
- No USPS phone customer service.
What is open or operational today at USPS?
- Access PO Boxes at most locations, if separated area from counter operations/lobby.
- Use self-service machines at most locations, if separated area from counter operations/lobby.
- Online USPS Click-N-Ship is fully functional.
- Inside and outside USPS mailboxes are open 24/7 – but outside boxes could become full at busy post office locations.
Don’t forget to check our domestic and international USPS updates on delivery disruptions and suspensions.
UPS
UPS is also not operating on Memorial Day, with no pick-ups and deliveries, and most UPS Store locations are closed or operating on modified hours as well. Call before going. UPS Express Critical, a specialty service, is available today.
FedEx
FedEx Express and Ground services are not operating on Memorial Day, with no pick-ups and deliveries. FedEx Office locations may operate on a modified schedule. Call before going. FedEx Custom Critical, a specialty service, is available today.
Amazon
Business as usual, the company is making deliveries today.
Tips for Sellers on May 29, 2023 Memorial Day
Today can be tricky for online sellers, as international buyers may think this is a normal business day. Here are some tips on how to deal with shipments on Memorial Day.
You may process shipments as usual, but a good practice is to notify buyers that today is a federal holiday in the U.S. and all carriers are not operating today.
If you process orders, buyers will still receive a tracking number, but by notifying them that today is a federal holiday in the United States, they will not expect to see any movement scans until Tuesday.
If you are using USPS Scan Forms, the best practice is to close out the day as usual. Some shipping platforms may not allow this, or may allow rolling over today’s shipments to the next business day. Check with them for details.
Avoid using outside USPS mailboxes (the blue boxes) at busy post office locations as they have become very full and recently have been targeted by thieves as well.
eBay, Etsy, Poshmark, PayPal, and other platforms that offer their own platform-based shipping services will process USPS labels on Memorial Day. However, most will not inform buyers that today is a federal holiday in their tracking notifications.
Federal / USPS Holidays in 2023
Looking ahead, here is a list of the remaining federal and postal holidays in 2023, with the next federal holiday just about a month away.
- Monday, June 19 – Juneteenth National Independence Day
- Tuesday, July 4 – Independence Day
- Monday, September 4 – Labor Day
- Monday, October 9 – Columbus Day
- Friday, November 10 (observed) – Veterans Day (observed)
- Thursday, November 23 – Thanksgiving Day
- Monday, December 25 – Christmas Day
- Monday, January 1, 2024 – New Year’s Day
* Veterans Day, November 1, 2023, falls on a Saturday this year and when this occurs, workers at government agencies receive the preceding Friday as their day off.
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Today is Memorial Day so I was surprised to see that the tracking info for four separate packages I’ve been waiting on, updated to “out for delivery” at around the same time they usually would have if not for the Memorial Day closure. Any explanation? Has USPS began delivering on Memorial Day now?
A bit strange, but I suspect it was just a scan and sorted to be out for delivery, but wasn’t actually out for delivery… Still odd because that is not supposed to happen until the packages arrive at the local post office or delivery annex, which I would think would’ve been closed today. Some distribution centers may have some operations on federal holiday days.
Richard