Post Office expects a busy day

Iowans who aren’t used to writing may have hand cramps today after polishing off their holiday cards over the weekend. Today’s expected to be -the- busiest day of the year for the U.S. Postal Service. Cedar Rapids postmaster Paula Prochazka says to expect a delay if you’re headed for the post office this morning. Prochazka says the lines will be a little longer than normal but they’ll have every possible window open. She suggests Iowans try out the new A-P-C’s, or automated postal centers, in certain cities. There are 15 A-P-C’s in the state which operate much like A-T-M’s. They’re 24-seven self-service centers from which you can weigh packages, obtain postage and mail items in the lobby after hours and on weekends. Prochazka says people sometimes forget some important things in their rush to get the cards in the mail. Make sure to put a stamp in the upper right-hand corner. Use a full address and ZIP code for the recipient and your return address. Use light-colored envelopes, if possible, though any color will be delivered. Prochazka says an amazing quantity of mail will be collected today at Iowa’s 850-plus post offices and those nationwide. On a normal day, the Postal Service processes 670-million pieces of mail. Today, that’s expected to increase to 850-million. Two days from now, Wednesday, is expected to be the biggest delivery day of the year.