Today is the last day to post Christmas presents

Today is the final day when people can send letters and parcels via national postal service Česká pošta and other major carriers for guaranteed delivery before Christmas Eve. This comes amid extremely high demand as Česká pošta reported the numbers of shipments rising by about 2.5 times earlier this week.

Currently in its busiest period of the year, Česká pošta is delivering up to 350,000 packages every day. It guarantees delivering all parcels by Friday this week, provided they are sent before Wednesday evening, ČTK reports.

Zásilkovna, another popular carrier, processed a record 800,000 shipments this Monday. It also said that sending parcels on Wednesday would guarantee delivery Friday. “The company delivers approximately 95 percent of packages within the next day.”

According to Zásilkovna spokesman Kamil Chalupa, the company is experiencing similar levels of deliveries as in pre-pandemic times. This may come as a surprise in light of a November nationwide opinion poll, which found that over half of Czechs planned to save money on Christmas presents this year.

Carrier GLS also marks today as the final day for which delivery on Friday is guaranteed. PPL, another major carrier in Czechia, says that Dec. 22 is the final day to send items. "We manage to deliver the vast majority of shipments by the next day,” PPL Marketing Director Milan Loidl says in ČTK. 

For people wishing to use major carrier DPD, the deadline for guaranteed Christmas delivery has passed. “The sender must hand over the package to us for transport no later than Dec. 20,” the company writes on its website. Carriers such as DPD do offer expedited services on some goods, but at a premium.

People wishing to use Amazon.de have until the end of today to make an order that guarantees delivery by Friday – this depends on the product sold. Czech-based e-shops all differ in the times they say that products will be delivered.

Retailer Mall.cz had asked customers to order no later than Dec. 20, whereas electronics online store Datart promises delivery in the next one or two days, Seznam Zprávy reports.

Where possible, ČTK advises people to order and pick up goods from e-shops, rather than brick-and-mortar post office branches. This allows for collection in a matter of hours.

No strike action is planned in Czechia, which will come as a relief to most. Industrial action by the UK's national postal service has severely affected the country's post, with hundreds of thousands of deliveries expected to arrive only after Christmas.

Consumers should also be aware that potential poor weather conditions – such as ice-covered roads seen in recent days – may potentially cause delays. "The snow is now worsening access to remote places in the republic, which means that there may be delays in individual cases,” spokeswoman for online retailer Mall.cz Pavla Hobíková said in Seznam Zprávy.

According to DPD Managing Director of Czech Operations Miloš Malaník, the snow calamity in recent days has delayed a small number of shipments.

Following more than a week of ice and snow, warmer temperatures in the coming days are good timing as Czechs hope that everybody gets their presents in time.