By Troy Gillard

sharp jump in parcels during pandemic

Canada Post says shop early ahead of holiday parcel surge

Oct 8, 2020 | 12:51 PM

There’s been a sharp jump in parcel deliveries since the pandemic started and Canada Post is expecting that to continue into the holiday season.

So it is asking everyone to start shopping for Christmas early to make sure their gifts are delivered on time.

Canada Post says it is scaling up its operations, but warns a traditional holiday parcel surge could overwhelm its capacity to make timely deliveries.

A survey conducted for Canada Post in June showed 48% of Canadian shoppers plan on spending mostly or exclusively online this coming holiday. As well, 54% were open to begin shopping in October or early November.

Canada Post says it is adding more than 4,000 temporary seasonal employees, increasing its fleet by more than 1,000 vehicles and adding key equipment for the holiday rush.

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They’ll also be delivering on weekends in many communities across the country, adding more parcel pickup locations and extending hours at many post offices.

(With file from The Canadian Press)