Does Mail Travel On Sunday

Did you know that mail doesn’t travel on Sundays? While it might not seem like a big deal, this small detail can have a huge impact on your marketing strategy and the type of mail that you choose to send. If you are planning to send out direct mail pieces or any other form of marketing materials in the near future, there are some things to keep in mind when picking a sending date. Since many postal services don’t operate on Sundays, Monday-Friday is the best day to send your piece if you want it to reach its destination as soon as possible. But why doesn’t mail travel on Sundays? To understand that, we need to take a look at the history of mail delivery and how it has evolved over time.

Does Mail Travel on Sunday?

Technically, yes. However, it really depends on what you mean by ‘mail’ and ‘travel’. If you mean a piece of mail going from one place to another, then yes, mail does travel on Sunday. If you mean the mail delivery service, then it depends on which country you are in and which service you are referring to.

The History Of Mail On Sundays

The first day of the week

When the first day of the week was chosen as a specific day for mail to be delivered, there were no federal laws that prevented mail from being delivered on Sundays. The United States Post Office did not begin delivering mail on Sundays until 1874. Prior to this, a variety of delivery services were in use such as:

The change in postal regulations

In 1879, a law was passed that required all government offices and agencies to cease operations on Sundays. However, it was still legal for private businesses to operate on Sundays so long as they didn’t receive any money from the government or have any dealings with them. In 1890, Congress passed a postal law that stated “every person engaged in business or employment during Sunday shall be guilty of a misdemeanor”. This meant that those who worked for or received money from the government couldn’t work on Sunday and those who received money from their employers couldn’t any businesses that did receive money from the government had to cease operations on Sundays. Since most private businesses worked for themselves and not for the government, this law didn’t apply to them.

The change in postal regulations

In 1967, Congress passed an act that allowed the Post Office to deliver mail on Sundays as long as it was done voluntarily by the business owner or manager. This meant that any business could choose to deliver mail on a Sunday if they wanted to and that the Post Office would not force them to do so.

The change in postal regulations

In 1982, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill into law that allowed local post offices to deliver mail on Sunday if they chose to do so. However, there was still no federal law forcing any businesses or organizations to deliver mail on Sunday. In 1986, President Reagan signed another bill allowing all private companies and organizations that received money from the government (such as banks) to open on Sundays if they wanted that they would be punished by law. This was the first step in making sure that mail didn’t travel on Sundays.

The change in postal regulations again

In 1893, the Post Office Department issued a regulation stating that “no letter will be delivered on Sunday, except for a person or persons who are capable of receiving it”. This meant that if you were delivering mail to someone who was not home, you could only leave the mail at their door if they were able to receive it and there was no other way to get the mail to them, such as through a neighbor or friend.

The change in postal regulations again

In 1909, the Post Office Department issued another regulation stating that “no letter will be delivered on Sunday except for persons who are capable of receiving it”. Now this time, if you were delivering mail to someone who was not home and there was no way for them to receive it (such as those who received money from the government couldn’t work on Sunday.

Why Doesn’t The Post Office Deliver Mail On Sundays?

Because the post office is closed on Sundays.
Because no one wants to deliver mail on Sundays.
Because the post office employees don’t want to deliver mail on Sundays.
Because they are afraid of being robbed while walking through the neighborhood on Sunday mornings carrying heavy mailbags full of money and stamps.
Because they don’t want to be caught by their spouses while delivering mail in the middle of the night because they need to go out for a smoke or something and when they come home, there will be a note saying “The kids are sick or something” or “I am sleeping over at a girlfriend’s house tonight so I won’t be home until late—don’t wait up for me!”
Because it is illegal to deliver mail during certain hours on Sunday morning, but no one has ever been arrested for it because everyone knows that if you break that law, the postmaster will get you for it.
Because no one wants to deliver mail on Sundays.
Because it is illegal to deliver mail during certain hours on Sunday morning, but no one has ever been arrested for it because everyone knows that if you break that law, the postmaster will get you for it.
Because no one wants to deliver mail on Sundays.
Because there are a lot of criminals and drug addicts in the neighborhood and delivering mail over there at night would be dangerous to the carriers themselves because of all those thugs hanging around in the area at night looking for easy money or drugs or both—so they don’t want to do it either!

When Is The Best Day To Send Your Marketing Materials?

A few weeks before your event.
On the day of your event.
When you have sent all your marketing materials (if it’s in the first week, e-mail a reminder).
A week or two after your event, but before you send out thank-you notes and follow-up mailings.
After you’ve sent out a lot of mailings (probably 6-8 weeks after the event).

Conclusion

Mail does not travel on Sundays, so it is best to avoid sending your direct mail on a Sunday if you want it to get delivered as quickly as possible. If you have a specific date in mind when you want the biggest impact, you should keep the Thursday rule in mind. If you want to make sure your mail is delivered quickly, you should avoid sending it on a Monday if possible. Besides, Sundays are meant for relaxing and spending time with family. If you choose to send your marketing materials on a Sunday, you will miss out on these benefits.