Cyber Monday kicks off busy package delivery season across Chicago area

Christmas is still four weeks away, but it's never too early to begin planning if you're going to be shipping, and today, Cyber Monday, was a good time to get started. Both the Postal Service and Amazon held open houses on Monday to remind customers about the need for speed.

Porsha Summers is one of the people on the picking line at Amazon's brand-new same-day delivery center at Division and Kostner, which just opened in September and now employs about 300 people. While this facility isn't as big as some of the suburban Amazon centers, it's built for speed.

"Really what we do that's different than a traditional Amazon site is we deliver the package to you in six to eight hours from the time you place the click. You can put your order in before you go to work and it'll be on your doorstep when you get home," said Matt Hall, Amazon site leader.

Once you hit that purchase button on your computer, it instantly sets into motion a complex dance between robots and people at Amazon's same-day west side facility. Porsha showed FOX 32 how the magic is made, as she takes items from a robotic shelving unit that glides into place, scans the item into the system, and then puts it into a bin for packaging and delivery.

In all, there are nearly a million items stored under the west side roof. However, Amazon isn't alone in pumping out the holiday packages. "What we always say with the holidays is mail as early as you can," said Tim Norman, US Postal Service spokesman.

Norman says they've already handled more than two billion holiday cards and packages nationally. They're advising that if you're sending a package by Priority Mail or Ground Advantage, then do it by December 16 to ensure delivery before Christmas. To avoid driving and waiting in lines, the Postal Service offers "Click and Ship" to do it all at home.

"You can pay for postage and then you print out the label, the white labels you see on a lot of our things with the tracking number on it. You can do it all from home. You can order boxes and get those free," Norman said. To avoid a visit from those nasty "porch pirates," you can arrange to pick up your package at an Amazon facility.

The Postal Service offers "Informed Delivery," which allows you to track your mail and packages online. "You'll know what you're getting in the mail that day and packages so you can kind of plan on that," Norman said.