‘Tis the season for shipping Purolator provides helpful holiday shipping tips With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season quickly approaching, Purolator is encouraging consumers and businesses to get an early start on their holiday shipping to guarantee gifts and packages arrive on time. Purolator is also providing some expert advice on how to ensure packages arrive safely. "We predict that Purolator's busiest shipping day of the year will be Tuesday, December 19. On this day alone, Purolator will pick up and deliver in excess of 1.6 million packages destined for domestic and international locations," said Brian Meagher, Senior Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Customer Service at Purolator. Consumers and businesses have a variety of options from which to choose to ensure their package arrives in time for the holidays: Visit www.purolator.com to access Purolator online shipping where consumers and businesses can ship their holiday packages in three easy steps Call 1 888 SHIP-123 to schedule a pick up Drop by one of Purolator’s 150 plus Retail Centres or more than 550 Shipping Agents Visit a Purolator Shipping Centre now located in 270 STAPLES Business Depot and BUREAU EN GROS locations across Canada (see www.purolator.com for locations) Purolator is also offering a series of packaging tips to help ensure customers’ packages arrive ready to impress. Visit www.purolator.com for additional packaging and shipping tips. Purolator’s guide to holiday packaging perfection Question Holiday packaging strategy What sort of packing materials do I need? It’s important that items are wrapped in appropriate materials. Key packing materials include: Bubble wrap : Offers protection and soft padding for fragile gifts. Available in different sizes. Shredded or crumpled construction paper : Ideal for fitting in empty spaces in a box and acts as an extra cushion so items don’t move around in the parcel. Polystyrene packing chips : Versatile filler suitable for lightweight gifts. Corrugated boxes and inserts : Available in different levels of thickness, these are more durable and provide an extra layer of cushion for delicate objects. Should I use a box or an envelope for shipping? Unless the item is a card or letter, use a box for packing gifts – a box offers better protection as the package is being processed as well as during transport. It’s always better to use a new box since previously used boxes lose their strength over time. How should items be packed? Each item should be placed at least two inches away from the walls of the box to keep from shifting. Be sure to firmly secure the contents of the box – especially lightweight and fragile items – by using an appropriate amount of filler material. How should packages be sealed? To ensure your package is tightly sealed use good quality packing tape at least two inches in width. Don’t use masking tape or cellophane tape as they aren’t secure enough. As well, do not use string to tie packages together as it can potentially get caught in the processing equipment. What information should go on the label? Be sure to specify shipping instructions and provide the complete address and phone number for both sender and receiver. How will I know that my gift has been delivered? You can track your package using your package identification number at www.purolator.com or by calling 1 888 SHIP-123. Purolator’s shipping deadlines for 2006 Shipments must be tendered to Purolator by the dates listed below in order to be delivered before Dec. 25. Transit times are based on departure from and arrival to major city centres. Please call 1 888 SHIP-123 to confirm. Destination Cut-off Canada (delivered next day where applicable) Dec. 21 United States (delivered next day by noon) Dec. 21 United States (delivered next day by 5 p.m.) Dec. 21 United States (delivered second day by 5 p.m.) Dec. 20 United States (delivered via deferred service) Dec. 14-18 (Depending on transit zones.) London, Paris and Frankfurt Dec. 19 Western Europe and United Kingdom  Dec. 18 Eastern Europe Dec. 15 Africa  Dec. 15 Middle East  Dec. 18 Australia Dec. 18 Caribbean and Mexico  Dec. 18 South and Central America  Dec. 18 Far East  Dec. 15 Purolator’s U.S. shipping tips If you’re shipping to the U.S. this holiday season, visit Purolator’s website at www.purolator.com for guidelines to help ensure your package arrives safely and without being stopped at the border. The two most important things to remember when shipping to the U.S. are: Provide notification to the FDA of any shipment containing purchased food (applicable for business to business or person to business shipments only). Any shipment that simply states gift as the description will be stopped at the border and returned to sender or held at customs until complete descriptions are provided. The true description of what the package actually contains is required.