Busiest shipping day of the year expected to make history
Dec 10, 2012, 7:02 AM | Updated: 9:20 am
Driver's were scrambling to keep up with a seemingly endless stream of packages -- which was no surprise. Fed Ex estimates 19 million packages will travel through their facilities across the nation on Monday. (KIRO Radio/Chris Sullivan Photo)
(KIRO Radio/Chris Sullivan Photo)
Hundreds of workers are loading up packages at Fed Ex. Monday will be the busiest shipping day of the year and this year it might make history.
Norm Eytzen, a 10-year Fed Ex driver, says it’s a fun time of year.
“We joke that we work all year for this time of year, it’s like the playoffs or something.”
KIRO reporter Chris Sullivan witnessed the full conveyor belts at the Fed Ex facility in SoDo. Kevin Caswell, the manager at the SoDo facilty says they’re ready.
“The team is fired up and ready to get it done,” says Caswell. “They’re industrial athletes, guys and gals that do this, they have a very physical job. There’s some little calisthenics and things they do to kind of get their muscles going and blood flowing and they’ll be ready for the day.”
Drivers were scrambling to keep up with a seemingly endless stream of packages – which was no surprise. Fed Ex estimates 19 million packages will travel through their facilities across the nation on Monday.
That’s 10 percent more than last year, and it will set a one-day record for the company.
UPS and the U.S. Postal Service are expected to see increases Monday as well. In total, UPS expects to send 18 million packages through it’s facilities, up 10 percent from last year. USPS may see an increase of 20 percent.
While there will be many cardboard boxes waiting on doorsteps Monday night, Eytzen says handing the packages off directly to their recipients is a little more fun.
“I’m Santa Claus this time of year. It’s kind of cool to see people’s reactions when you get to the house and a lot of people are excited of course,” says Eytzen.
Report by KIRO Radio’s Chris Sullivan.
