The seasonal shopping madness is already underway as retailers begin priming their customers for the holidays. 2020 has, without a doubt, been one of the strangest years for just about everything. The global pandemic, a myriad of natural disasters, and a tense presidential election will very likely mean that consumers are going “all out” for the holidays, and companies like Amazon and Walmart are happy to help them with their purchase needs.
Many retailers, including Target and Walmart continuing through the month to meet the needs of online shopping.
Because there are still global restrictions and precautions in place due to COVID-19, we can expect to see a surge in e-commerce and retail sales. For example, Amazon’s Prime day, which usually takes place in July, happened in October this year. While Amazon hasn’t released their total sales figures, they did say that third party sellers on the marketplace earned over $3.5 billion. Black Friday looks to be on target as one of the biggest Black Friday ever, in terms of sales. Many retailers, including Target and Walmart continuing through the month to meet the needs of online shopping.
These companies are bracing for the massive capacity crunch, which could affect up to 7 million packages per day, between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The real question is whether or not logistics companies will have the necessary capacity to deliver all of these orders. Even big players in the game, FexEx and UPS have already reached capacity. With the bulk of orders still to come, retailers and logistics companies alike are telling customers to shop and ship earlier than ever before. These companies are bracing for the massive capacity crunch, which could affect up to 7 million packages per day, between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
All Hands on Deck at Amazon
To make sure they are ready for the holiday rush, Amazon has announced that they will be hiring 100,000 workers.
Amazon is a giant machine with an uncountable number of moving parts. To make sure they are ready for the holiday rush, Amazon has announced that they will be hiring 100,000 workers. While they didn’t say if these workers will be seasonal specific or full-hires, the goal is to flesh out Amazon’s logistics and fulfillment network. Amazon is offering a minimum starting wage of $15/hr and up to $1,000 sign on bonus in some markets to entice warehouse and delivery workers. Amazon also plans to open 100 additional buildings across it’s fulfillment, sortation, and delivery network. The e-commerce giant intends to bolster their capacity by upwards of 50 percent by the start of the peak season to meet the uptick in demand.
UPS ups Their Workforce
UPS is also looking to bring in 100,000 seasonal employees to prepare for the holiday season.
UPS is also looking to bring in 100,000 seasonal employees to prepare for the holiday season. Much like Amazon, the UPS ranks have already swelled at the beginning of the year to meet the logistics needs of the e-commerce boom caused by the pandemic. During the second quarter of 2020, UPS saw a 23 percent growth of package volume over the same time last year which forced the company to bring on an additional 39,000 workers. The shipping deadlines for UPS are December 15 UPS Ground, December 21 UPS 3 Day Select, December 22 UPS 2nd Day Air, and December 23 UPS Next Day Air. UPS will also impose surcharges ranging from $1 to $3 per package on high-volume US residential shippers.
FedEx is Growing its Capabilities
FedEx will expand its Sunday home delivery service to cover nearly 95 percent of the U.S. population.
In addition to the 75,000 seasonal workers hired for 2020, a 27 percent increase from last year, FedEx is putting more effort into growing its delivery capabilities. The company will expand its Sunday home delivery service to cover nearly 95 percent of the U.S. population. FexEx will also be increasing Ground’s network capacity and expanding the coverage radius of FedEx Freight Direct service. The shipping deadlines for FedEx are December 15 for FedEx Ground, December 22 for FedEx 2Day, December 23 for FedEx Standard Overnight, and December 25 for FedEx Same Day. FedEx will also be applying peak season surcharges to high-volume shippers, ranging from $1 to $5 depending volume.
The USPS Freight Prediction
The United States Postal service will bring on it’s usual 35,000 to 40,000 seasonal workers for positions
The Postal service is preparing for the busy season, with an expected 15 billion pieces of mail and 800 million packages. The United States Postal service will bring on it’s usual 35,000 to 40,000 seasonal workers for positions such as mail handlers, holiday clerk assistants, and mail processing clerks. USPS, like FexEx, is working on a different angle, and will be pushing its Click-N-Ship feature, allowing users to order free Priority Mail boxes, print shipping labels, purchase postage, and request free next-day package pick up. The USPS urges customers to plan accordingly as it predicts that December 14th will be the busiest day online with more than 13 million customers predicted to be on the postal service website for help with shipping holiday gifts. USPS shipping deadlines include December 18 for First-Class Mail and packages, December 19 for Priority Mail, and December 23 for Priority Mail Express.
Preparing for the Surge
This was one of the earliest holiday season kick offs ever, not to mention the biggest one to date. It is estimated that holiday spending will reach $1.15 trillion, a 1 to 1.5 percent increase from 2019. This year will see a dramatic increase in online sales as more and more customers avoid brick and mortar stores. Even with the increased personnel and investments in increased infrastructure, it’s unclear as to whether or not retailers will be able to handle the strain of increasing sales volumes. Even after the holidays are over, demand will still be radically steep as the post-holiday reverse logistics debacle begins.
About BlueGrace
When companies want superior supply chain management services and best-in-class technology, they turn to BlueGrace. Why? Our progressive approach to transportation management helps customers of all sizes drive savings and simplicity into their supply chains.
But that’s only part of the story, because your success doesn’t depend on shipments and deliveries alone. To thrive, it needs dependable relationships between customers, carriers, and logistics experts. When Bobby Harris founded BlueGrace in 2009, he saw that even the top logistics firms were overlooking the true heart of their job. So, he built a company that put its people and its customers before profit. The proof of that is evident in our core values, our caring culture, our countless community efforts, and in the heartfelt testimonials from our customers.
We’re Hiring!
Looking for a job that’s miles away from ordinary? Do you want to work in a place where your voice will be heard and your passions celebrated? Do you want a career in one of the fastest growing business sections in the U.S? Why not join the BlueGrace team?
We’re always on the lookout for the humble and caring, the motivated and driven, the bold and talented – for those who want to have fun while contributing to the growth of a nation-leading company. Sound like you? Apply today!
