‘Around 4,000 packages every day’: how La Poste d’Albi manages the Christmas rush

It is 6 a.m., the sun is not yet up, but the postmen of the PPDC (mail preparation and distribution platform) of Albi are already in action to prepare their tour. The return trips of Toulouse trucks have been going on since 4 a.m. with containers on board filled mainly with packages for Christmas gifts.

Little by little, they fill the warehouse, but it is only temporary. They will soon be in the trunks of cars ready for delivery. But before that, La Poste agents must empty the containers, scan the QR Code and sort. A job that requires a lot of concentration and speed to properly list them. They then classify the packages according to their route. On average, they distribute between 100 and 120 packages per tour, a figure which can rise to 140-150 on their big days.

For the well-being of postmen, packages must not weigh more than 30 kg, this rule must be respected by e-commerce sites. “We must pay attention to their security”, specifies Michel Robert, director of the establishment.

A clear increase in activity, the day after Black Friday

The day after Black Friday, agents see the difference. The pace is much more intense with larger deliveries than the rest of the year. “Usually, we receive between 1,800 and 2,000 packages. At the moment, we are around 4,000,” explains Michel Robert. “Customers are much more cautious than before. Today, they start their gift at the end of November, before it was in December.”

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Multiplication of deliveries, and therefore multiplication of staff. For the sector reserved solely for parcels, there are ten people who work sorting outside the holiday periods. Ten additional reinforcements were recruited to come and support the teams, a period which requires “specific organization” for La Poste agents. The peak of activity is expected for Wednesday December 18 and Thursday December 19, the same period every year. “If people want to receive their package in time for Christmas, they must order Friday December 20, the latest deadline, otherwise it will be too late,” says the director of the platform.

Chinese e-commerce and Amazon, La Poste’s main customers

As you walk through the aisles of the warehouse, you quickly notice that certain brands are more popular than others. “Amazon is our number one customer. We also have a lot of packages that come from China like Temu and Shein. That represents between 20 and 25% of the stock,” explains Michel Robert. At the national level, these two Asian e-commerce giants represent 22% of the flow. Merchant site platforms also take place in containers, like Fnac and Vinted.

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At 8:30 a.m., once the parcels have been sorted, the postmen set off on their rounds until around 1 p.m. Some are heading towards Marssac-sur-Tarn, others are heading towards Cordes-sur-Ciel while some distribute their packages in the Albi area. The warehouse emptied while the trunks of the cars filled up. All that remains is to distribute the packages which will undoubtedly end up at the foot of the tree.