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Here’s the One Thing You Need to Know About Holiday Shopping This Year

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It's still August, and holiday shopping is probably the furthest thing from your mind right now. But, newsflash, it definitely shouldn't be. Why? Between the ongoing United States Postal Service crisis and COVID-related delays, shipping has never been more unpredictable, meaning you'd be very (very) wise to get a head start on holiday gifts, like, right now.

holiday shopping cat
Ana Silva/EyeEm/getty images

But first, a quick refresher on the whole USPS thing. The agency is currently running out of government funding and there are concerns that it will collapse completely if the government doesn’t approve a substantial aid package to help the USPS weather the COVID-19 storm.

And while the post office will always be important (it handles about 48 percent of the country’s mail, including those annual birthday cards from Grandma), its services are even more essential in 2020 when mail-in voting is expected to increase significantly for the election this November.

Before you browse the holiday gift ideas below, here are six ways to help save the USPS that take less than 2 minutes and can be done without even leaving your couch.



sarah stiefvater

Wellness Director

Sarah Stiefvater is PureWow's Wellness Director. She's been at PureWow for ten years, and in that time has written and edited stories across all categories, but currently focuses...