UPS hub in Aurora prepares for busy holiday shopping season across Colorado
Experts are predicting a 3% to 4% increase in holiday sales this year. So, have you ever wondered what happens with a package before it gets to your front door?
CBS News Colorado got a behind-the-scenes look at the UPS Aurora hub, where staff are working hard to make sure your packages get delivered in time for the holidays.
Every day, there are truckloads that drop off hundreds of thousands of packages at the 360,000-square-foot facility. The equipment can sort and process up to 21,000 packages every hour or 285,000 packages daily on peak days.
During the peak holiday shopping season, UPS will see an increase in volume of anywhere from 30% to 50%. It's a mix of automation and employees who work together to get the job done. In fact, more than half of the volume of packages move through an automated piece of equipment.
After packages are sorted, they're ready to be placed onto trucks to be delivered to homes. There are nearly 200 trucks available to deliver packages across the Denver metro area from the UPS Aurora Hub.
There are between 175 to 230 package delivery routes dispatched from the facility. It's a busy operation, during a challenging time of year, where the brown UPS truck is sometimes viewed as the big red sleigh.
There's also a 45% increase in workers. The Denver Metro area will hire for 2,100 seasonal positions, and nationwide, UPS is looking to hire 100,000 seasonal workers.
For a worry-free shipping season, it's encouraged to know the last day to ship a package to ensure it arrives before Christmas Eve and confirm your item is shippable. Some prohibited and restricted items include fireworks, marijuana, vape products, postage stamps, etc. Also, adequately label and securely pack packages for transportation.
