NZ Post bringing on extra staff as it gears up for Black Friday, holiday shopping

NZ Post is preparing for another busy festive shopping season.

NZ Post is adding extra staff and vehicles to its fleet as it gears up to deliver around 18 million parcels in the few months before Christmas Day.

And the major sales events of Black Friday (November 24) and Cyber Monday (November 27) are next in line in the busy festive shopping period, which kicked off two weeks ago with Singles’ Day.

“For the last few years, we’ve seen Black Friday sales exceed Boxing Day as the biggest sales event in New Zealand, and we’re expecting that trend to continue this year. This year, we expect retailers to start their Black Friday deals earlier and run them longer,” NZ Post head of sales and customer management Debbie Allen said.

“Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales can be a good opportunity for customers to take advantage of lower-priced items as they plan their Christmas shopping. It’s also a great time to support locally owned Kiwi businesses who are feeling the impact of economic challenges.”

Allen said they plan for the busy season all year to get the parcels under the tree in time.

Last year, NZ Post said it delivered about 18m parcels in the few months before Christmas Day, and it expects to deliver about the same number again this year.

Online retailer Mighty Ape was also preparing for the busy shopping season by boosting its staff numbers to meet increased demand.

“Black Friday has been our biggest single shopping day annually for the past seven years, with this year being no exception,” Mighty Ape chief executive Gracie MacKinlay said.

“In anticipation of a huge surge in demand, we have ramped up staff numbers and increased our capacity for same-day delivery.”

The Warehouse Group chief customer and sales officer Jonathan Waecker said Black Friday was huge for the retailer, whose online stores include Noel Leeming and The Warehouse.

“It’s getting bigger every year. We’re seeing more and more customers not just browsing, but crafting their wishlists online, seeking out unbeatable prices and snappy one-hour click-and-collect options,” he said.

Allen warned the deadline for international economy services was approaching this week.

Parcels sent within New Zealand need to be sent by Monday, December 18 for economy, and by Wednesday, December 20 for courier.

“Our advice is to send your presents as soon as possible,” Allen said.

NZ Post, which has a workforce of 4500, is planning to reduce the number of its mail roles by about 750 fulltime employees over the next five years as it responds to declining volumes of mail being sent.