ATLANTA — UPS expects this holiday season to be busier than last, thanks to the growing popularity of online shopping. And more intense, thanks to the calendar.
The world’s biggest package delivery company said Friday that it foresees peak season daily volume rising 8 percent this year.
UPS, based in Atlanta, predicts that it will pick up more than 34 million packages on the busiest day, Monday, Dec. 16.
The company plans to hire 55,000 U.S. seasonal employees to work as drivers, helpers, package sorters, loaders and unloaders. That’s the same number as last year, but this year’s group might feel a lot busier. Besides the increased volume, there are just 26 shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, six fewer than last year, making it the most compressed holiday shopping season since 2002.
UPS expects that Cyber Monday will see a 10 percent increase in pickup volume, surpassing 32 million packages.
