Swiss Post readies for holiday rush amid slight parcel dip
Black Friday, Cyber Monday and then Christmas shopping: many people in Switzerland will go on a shopping spree at the end of the year. However, Swiss Post is expecting a slightly lower flood of parcels this year than in 2022.
The “parcel peak season” is just around the corner for Swiss Post employees. Last year, Swiss Post sent 22 million parcels across the country between Black Friday and Christmas. This year, however, a slightly lower volume of parcels is expected.
However, Swiss Post believes it is well equipped to deal with the flood of parcels, as a spokesperson told the news agency AWP. In the current year, new parcel centres have been opened around Switzerland.
The daily sorting capacity has increased by around 20% compared to 2022. “This means we are already well prepared for the higher parcel volumes in the coming weeks,” said the spokesperson.
And in contrast to the advertising delivery area, where Swiss Post is cutting jobs, the parcel service has expanded its workforce. Compared to 2020, there are around 550 more full-time positions in delivery and parcel sorting. During the “parcel peak season”, around 500 additional temporary employees will also be working in the parcel centres.
Conveyor belts are running hot
The conveyor belts will hardly get a break. The large parcel centres in Daillens, Härkingen and Frauenfeld will be running for up to 22 hours a day in the coming weeks, according to the spokesperson. The typical time is 18 hours. Parcels will also be sorted on Saturdays during this time period.
In order to get the parcels to their recipients, more than 400 additional delivery rounds are planned every day until after Christmas. Around 330 delivery vans will be temporarily hired for this purpose.
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