As the different holidays come around, it sometimes can be difficult to know what is and isn’t open. It gets even more confusing for a holiday like Columbus Day, where some establishments are open while others are closed. Add the fact that the holiday is on a weekday (Columbus day is on Monday October 14, 2024) when the United States Postal Service (USPS) is normally open for business, and it can get even more confusing. So the question is, “Are post offices open on Columbus Day?
Is the post office open on Columbus Day?
No, the post office isn’t open on Columbus Day.
Celebrated on the second Monday in October each year, Columbus Day is an official US federal holiday recognized by the government. As such the USPS and local post offices observe the day, and remain closed on that Monday. In addition to local post offices not being open, postal employees won’t be making regular mail delivery service on the day as well. There may be some exceptions for overnight delivery mail, but regular mail service won’t be in operation.
While many mail services won’t be available, and you won’t be able to speak directly with a postal employee on October 14, you still may be able to receive some basic postal services depending on your particular local post office. The holiday will be similar to a typical Sunday with the same services available. Many post offices have mail drops or mail boxes where you can leave letters and packages. If your local post office rents PO Boxes, in most cases these can be accessed on holidays even when the postal service windows are closed. More and more post offices are installing package and letter weighing machines where you can calculate the cost of sending your mail, purchase postage and send the package on your own. Others have stamp vending machines where you can purchase stamps for letters and packages.
Unfortunately, the exact services which will be available on Columbus Day will depend on what services the local branch typically offers on Sundays and other holidays, so it’s impossible to give an accurate list for each. If you’re unsure what you post office has available, the best course of action to take is to contact them directly to see what, if any, services will be available that day.
Is the post office open on Columbus Day weekend?
Since most post offices are typically closed on Sunday, these will also be closed on Sunday October 13, 2024 as well, meaning they will be closed two days in a row. If your local post office is typically open on Saturday (while many smaller branches aren’t, some larger ones are, although they usually have shorter hours than they have during the week), then it should be open during its usual Saturday hours on October 12, 2024.
Regular mail service will come on October 12, but won’t on October 14. Since the hours open vary from location to location, if you want to make sure about the opening hours of your local branch over Columbus Day, contact them directly to confirm what hours they will be open.
(Photo courtesy of Ricardo Liberato)