Busiest Mail Day Is That and More for Postal Service

In a year when the U.S. Postal Service had to add anthrax to the usual challenges of rain, snow, sleet and hail, officials said Monday that the busiest mail day of the year was handled in stride.

Across Southern California, about 20 million cards and letters and 1.5 million packages were postmarked Monday in advance of Christmas, 50% more than normal but on par with last year.

With mail volume down 6% nationwide between Sept. 11 and Thanksgiving, officials hope that recent anthrax scares won’t erode public confidence during the holiday season, which accounts for a third of the postal service’s revenue.

“Every post office that I’ve been to today has long lines,” said David Mazer, regional public affairs manager for the postal service. “Which is good. . . . Unless you’re in them.”

In fact, with air travel down significantly, mail carriers are bracing for an increase in packages this year.

Wednesday is the deadline to ensure delivery in California by Dec. 25; packages to the East Coast could already benefit from priority mail, officials said.

“People wait until five minutes before we close to try to mail something and then get mad at us because we’re closing,” said Jorge A. Miranda, supervisor of Reseda’s post office. “If you want your packages to leave the post office the same day you bring them in, get in here early.”

But this year, customers are being offered a host of new, post-attack suggestions to help keep the deluge moving.

Don’t send candy in envelopes; if it is crushed and leaks, it could be mistaken for something more dangerous. Letters to Santa bulked up with hay for the reindeer aren’t a good idea either. And don’t send toys with batteries installed.

“We don’t want toy drummer boys going off in the box,” said Terri Bouffiou, a postal spokeswoman. “We can’t take any chances and we’d have to call the bomb squad if it’s ticking.”

At Orange County’s sprawling postal distribution center in Santa Ana, 2.7 million pieces of mail were expected to be postmarked Monday, more than twice the normal flow.

During lunch hour, the wait for one of seven clerks was 20 minutes. Jennifer Locke, 20, of Huntington Beach was expecting far worse.

“All my friends told me to expect a two-hour wait,” she said. “This is great.”

Chuck Bailey of Costa Mesa said he had empathy for postal workers this year.

“Next to the cops, these guys have as tough a job as anybody around the holidays. I know I see my neighborhood guy wearing a surgical mask with gloves,” Bailey said. “I think they’re doing a great job. I’m amazed how fast the line is moving.”

Three weeks after testing negative for anthrax, workers in Santa Ana have taken their gloves off.

“There’s no undue pressure this year, but you can’t forget what happened,” said clerk Sharon Crayton. “I still have to be precautionary and use good common sense.”

Van Nuys postal clerk Isabelle Quimayousie was too busy sorting packages, cards and letters to worry about terrorists or anthrax.

“I don’t have time to be concerned,” she said. “I look out for odd addresses and lettering, misspelled words or envelopes with powder on them, but so far I haven’t noticed anything suspicious.”

At Newport Beach’s main post office, customers lined the counters to drop packages and Christmas cards into the day’s flood.

“It is more important now than ever to stay in touch with friends and family,” said Lori Kellems, 34, of Newport Beach, clutching a stack of 60 cards.

In the Griffith post office’s parking lot in Atwater Village, Dianne Wohlleben buried her head in the trunk of her car, stuffing wrapped presents into a box. She tore packing tape with her teeth and sealed it. Then she dug through the back seat for another package.

“I’ve got one hour to mail this stuff out. I hope I brought my address book,” said Wohlleben, 56. Nearly out of breath, she rushed toward the office, bracing for a long line. She stopped abruptly and gasped. “Oh my gosh, there’s no line,” she said, staring at the five people waiting.

The scene was different at the Oxnard post office. A line of customers loaded with packages--and patience--stretched out the door.

“I allow myself about an hour to stand in line,” said Elaine Hesse, 69, who was mailing presents to loved ones in Iowa. “But this looks like 15, maybe 20 minutes, tops. That’s pretty good.”

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Times staff writers Dave McKibben, Daniel Yi, Karima A. Haynes, Jennifer Sinco Kelleher and Tina Dirmann contributed to this report.