As the festive season approaches, the anticipation of gift-giving and receiving is in the air.

Australia Post is stepping up to ensure Australians can send and receive their parcels in time for Christmas.

In a move that will relieve and convenience many, Australia Post has announced the reintroduction of weekend deliveries in the lead-up to Christmas.

This initiative responds to the expected surge in demand during the holiday season.

This weekend, deliveries will be made on Saturdays and Sundays in Australian capital cities and select regional areas.

This is a strategic move to accommodate the increase in online shopping, which has become a staple for many Australians, especially during major sales events and the festive rush.

Weekend deliveries were reintroduced by Australia Post in capital cities and selected regional areas to manage the expected Christmas demand. Credit: Unsplash

Gary Starr, Australia Post's executive general manager of Parcel, Post and eCommerce Services, emphasised the importance of this decision.

'With the holiday season just around the corner, we know how important it is for our customers to receive their parcels on time,' he said.

'By bringing back weekend deliveries, we’re not just meeting customer demand, but hopefully making holiday shopping easier for everyone.'

Australia Post has been gearing up for this busy period all year, recruiting thousands of new team members to ensure smooth operations.

Last year, the postal service delivered nearly 100 million parcels.

With the cost-of-living crunch, customers are expected to take advantage of significant shopping events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

These factors contribute to the anticipation of another record-breaking year for parcel deliveries.

The weekend delivery service will continue until Christmas, depending on the volume of parcels.

Australia Post has also provided critical deadlines to help customers plan their shipping.

Parcels should be sent by Friday, 20 December, to ensure they arrive before Christmas Day.

For those last-minute gifts, packages sent with express shipping should be dispatched by 23 December.

Despite the cost-of-living crisis putting pressure on Australian wallets, online retail therapy remains a popular pastime. Data from earlier this year showed a 4.4 per cent increase in online purchases in the June quarter compared to the previous year.

End-of-financial-year sales and other promotional events have lured consumers with bargains, leading to a splurge on fashion, apparel, health, beauty, and recreational goods.

Interestingly, more than 5.7 million Australian households made an online purchase every month in the last quarter, with Tasmanians, Northern Territorians, and Queenslanders spending the most time shopping online.

However, the data also revealed that while Australians shop online frequently, the number of items in their online baskets has decreased by 2.6 per cent yearly.

This trend towards online shopping, combined with the convenience of weekend deliveries, is set to make this Christmas season a little less stressful for Australians.

Whether you're sending a care package to a loved one across the country or ordering the perfect gift for under the tree, Australia Post's commitment to weekend deliveries is a welcome development.

As we all know, the joy of the holiday season is often accompanied by the stress of ensuring that everything is ready in time.

With Australia Post's weekend deliveries, Australians can breathe a little easier, knowing their parcels have a better chance of arriving before the big day.

Key Takeaways

• Australia Post reintroduced weekend deliveries in Australian capital cities and selected regional areas to manage the expected surge in demand over the Christmas period.
• The organisation has recruited thousands of new team members and stresses the importance of timely parcel delivery during the holiday season.
• Customers are advised to send parcels by Friday, 20 December, for standard delivery or by 23 December for express shipping to ensure arrival before Christmas Day.
• Despite a cost-of-living crisis, there was a 4.4 per cent increase in online purchases in the June quarter year on year, with fashion, apparel, health, beauty, and recreational goods being the most popular items.

Are you planning to shop online and take advantage of Australia Post's weekend deliveries? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.

 

[MariaG]

I say, the mouse is roaring.
They cut weekly deliveries down to every 2nd working day, then, make this announcement about bringing in weekend deliveries. Well yippee ki ayy mother fffrrr to something that brings deliveries back to 5 a week as it should be all year. I am underly impressed to say the least.

 

[Dynamo]

So many shops have closed this year. These closures have meant that some products are only available on line. Australia post will definitely have boosted delivery demand.

 

[magpie1]

100 Million parcels last year.....that's a hell of a load off SANTA at Christmas.

 

[Wendy]

I ordered a couple of things from E Bay, the seller notified me when he sent them, a few days later he messaged me to say the Aus Post had delivered the parcel back to his house instead of mine, he re posted them. I followed them on tracker and they sat in the Perth central post office for 4 days then they sent them back over east !!!!!! The seller has refunded my money and says if he ever finds the goods he'll try sending them again. E Bay have been notified and the seller is putting in an official complaint to Aus Post. Not holding out much hope for any Christmas stuff coming on time.

 

[Jennie]

I ordered a couple of things from E Bay, the seller notified me when he sent them, a few days later he messaged me to say the Aus Post had delivered the parcel back to his house instead of mine, he re posted them. I followed them on tracker and they sat in the Perth central post office for 4 days then they sent them back over east !!!!!! The seller has refunded my money and says if he ever finds the goods he'll try sending them again. E Bay have been notified and the seller is putting in an official complaint to Aus Post. Not holding out much hope for any Christmas stuff coming on time.

Unfortunately that seems to be the state of most parcels posted lately, going round in circles and never arriving.

I ordered a couple of things from E Bay, the seller notified me when he sent them, a few days later he messaged me to say the Aus Post had delivered the parcel back to his house instead of mine, he re posted them. I followed them on tracker and they sat in the Perth central post office for 4 days then they sent them back over east !!!!!! The seller has refunded my money and says if he ever finds the goods he'll try sending them again. E Bay have been notified and the seller is putting in an official complaint to Aus Post. Not holding out much hope for any Christmas stuff coming on time.

 

[Wires]

Should be 5 1/2 days a week with the rates on postage plus all the subbies they use for parcel delivery and delivery of junk mail

 

[PattiB]

I say, the mouse is roaring.
They cut weekly deliveries down to every 2nd working day, then, make this announcement about bringing in weekend deliveries. Well yippee ki ayy mother fffrrr to something that brings deliveries back to 5 a week as it should be all year. I am underly impressed to say the least.

Isn’t it only letter deliveries that were reduced? The parcel delivery van is around every day as usual, but then so is the regular postie. We get hardly anything to the letter box as bills etc come in online, so I don’t pay much attention, as long as my parcels get delivered.

 

[Suzanne rose]

I say, the mouse is roaring.
They cut weekly deliveries down to every 2nd working day, then, make this announcement about bringing in weekend deliveries. Well yippee ki ayy mother fffrrr to something that brings deliveries back to 5 a week as it should be all year. I am underly impressed to say the least.

I believe it's mail deliveries which are every second day.
Weekend deliveries are for parcel delivery not mail deliveries

 

[Luckyus]

I ordered a couple of things from E Bay, the seller notified me when he sent them, a few days later he messaged me to say the Aus Post had delivered the parcel back to his house instead of mine, he re posted them. I followed them on tracker and they sat in the Perth central post office for 4 days then they sent them back over east !!!!!! The seller has refunded my money and says if he ever finds the goods he'll try sending them again. E Bay have been notified and the seller is putting in an official complaint to Aus Post. Not holding out much hope for any Christmas stuff coming on time.

Fast becoming like the present government, not fit for purpose.

 

[MariaG]

I believe it's mail deliveries which are every second day.
Weekend deliveries are for parcel delivery not mail deliveries

There you go.
Mail deliveries are still snail's pace. I have most of my bills emailed, however, some government departments still use surface mail.
A few weeks ago, we received a letter giving details of when an operation was to happen, where to go, who to see, and prep beforehand. Only problem was, the letter arrived 3 days after the set operation date. Duuuh

 

[Suzanne rose]

There you go.
Mail deliveries are still snail's pace. I have most of my bills emailed, however, some government departments still use surface mail.
A few weeks ago, we received a letter giving details of when an operation was to happen, where to go, who to see, and prep beforehand. Only problem was, the letter arrived 3 days after the set operation date. Duuuh

I also have most of my mail including bills emailed

 

[PattiB]

There you go.
Mail deliveries are still snail's pace. I have most of my bills emailed, however, some government departments still use surface mail.
A few weeks ago, we received a letter giving details of when an operation was to happen, where to go, who to see, and prep beforehand. Only problem was, the letter arrived 3 days after the set operation date. Duuuh

That’s precisely why we have everything emailed to us. We get our utility bills before most of my friends, who still use snail mail, and especially all of my husband’s hospital admissions stuff, which can be so very slow. Hope your operation was rescheduled okay. Mail deliveries in isolated areas can be really slow.

 

[Parrot]

Australia post are trying to impress with “ Parcel W/E delivery “ Correct me if I am wrong BUT
It looks like incoming parcels are going to be kept aside for that purpose alone .. why don’t they
Deliver parcels on the days they don’t deliver Mail. Which in our area would be TUES & THURSDAYS.. surely it would speed things up.

 

[deni67]

I don't have that problem with Aussie post, everything I buy is through Temu and they deliver up to 9pm and on both Saturdays and Sundays, I can't complain about that

 

[PattiB]

Australia post are trying to impress with “ Parcel W/E delivery “ Correct me if I am wrong BUT
It looks like incoming parcels are going to be kept aside for that purpose alone .. why don’t they
Deliver parcels on the days they don’t deliver Mail. Which in our area would be TUES & THURSDAYS.. surely it would speed things up.

I don’t know where you live Parrot but here in Launceston Aust Post dont hold up parcels. the delivery people are expected to keep going until the storage crates are empty & often deliver on Saturdays to clear everything before it stacks up for Mondays. We have had extra runs in December for years, with both parcels & letters being delivered on the weekends. Apparently, northern Tasmanian’s are prolific online shoppers, me included. Our postie seems to deliver mail everyday but we receive practically nothing anyway, so I assume they still deliver letters each day. I’ll ask him next time he brings a small parcel.

 

[Leeta069]

I don’t know where you live Parrot but here in Launceston Aust Post dont hold up parcels. the delivery people are expected to keep going until the storage crates are empty & often deliver on Saturdays to clear everything before it stacks up for Mondays. We have had extra runs in December for years, with both parcels & letters being delivered on the weekends. Apparently, northern Tasmanian’s are prolific online shoppers, me included. Our postie seems to deliver mail everyday but we receive practically nothing anyway, so I assume they still deliver letters each day. I’ll ask him next time he brings a small parcel.

Same here in Devonport.

 

[PattiB]

Same here in Devonport.

We often visit Devonport, lunch at Molly Malones then wander around the Mall. Love the bookstore there. We won’t mention the Spirit debacle