PORTLAND, Maine — It's the Saturday before Christmas, and Cape Elizabeth's Reese MacFarland and R.J. Sarka are busy working. Dressed in festive attire, they drive to different neighborhoods around the greater Portland area, delivering FedEx packages to anxious households.
Holiday shipping would typically be in full swing this weekend anyways, but the big snowstorm on Thursday has delayed business as usual. MacFarland says they were projected to deliver the most packages of the year that day, but they weren't able to do that when the snowstorm hit.
The next few days are expected be hectic, as MacFarland, Sarka, and fellow FedEx delivery drivers play catch-up in an already busy season. A lot of people have been ordering gifts online this year because of the coronavirus pandemic -- and that offers another explanation for the boxes stacked high in the back of MacFarland and Sarka's truck.
MacFarland says a lot of people with FedEx are working 10-hour days, six or seven days a week in the holiday crunch time period. Officials with FedEx say the company has hired more than 70,000 seasonal workers, since peak shipping volumes are expected to be up by about 22 percent year over year.
Despite the pre-holiday chaos, MacFarland says the job is worth bringing holiday spirit to Maine families.
"It definitely is rewarding. We like to play a lot of Christmas music in the truck, and people are usually really happy to see us show up at their house -- so, it definitely makes you feel good," MacFarland told NEWS CENTER Maine. "I can't speak for everybody at FedEx, but for people in the greater Portland area, we'll get your packages before Christmas."
Ground delivery deadlines for FedEx, UPS, and USPS were last Tuesday.
If you fell behind on holiday shopping this year, you can request priority mail option to try to get packages to loved ones this week. For FedEx, that information is as follows:
- FedEx Express Saver, FedEx 3Day Freight: Dec. 21
- FedEx 2Day: Dec. 22
- FedEx 1Day Freight, FedEx Extra Hours, FedEx Overnight: Dec. 23
- FedEx SameDay: Dec. 25