Post Office is busy

Postal customers who want to avoid long lines at the post office have missed their chance.

Thanksgiving might be the busiest travel day of the year, but Monday marked the busiest day for the post office, said Culpeper's postmaster Donna Culbertson.

"It's the last-minute thing," Culbertson said. "People realized they've only got a week to mail things."

Most people mail packages via Priority mail, she said, and Mondays are typically heavier after a weekend of shopping. But Monday was the last Monday to ship Priority since Christmas is Tuesday.

For the first time ever, the post office will close at noon Christmas Eve. So if you want your package to arrive on Christmas day, Saturday is the last day to guarantee it, Culbertson said.

In December, the Culpeper Post Office becomes a temporary hub for Priority mail, which means airmail goes directly to the airport rather than to northern Virginia first.

To handle the high volume, extra workers help organize the Priority mail and have been filling 17 carts a night, versus two or three carts on a typical day.

Despite the increase, Culbertson said her goal was to keep waiting time to five minutes or less by having four employees at the counter. But the line of people was still out the door Saturday, she said.

Phil Ferlazzo stepped inside Culpeper's post office Monday carrying a single letter only to find a line that nearly reached the door.

"I think I'll come back later," said Ferlazzo, who wanted to mail a letter to his cousin in Sicily.

Culbertson's advice to procrastinators- "As long as you get it in today or Wednesday, you'll be good."

Catherine Amos can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 138 or .