Flat-Rate Boxes Of Aloha

By Gary Gardetto
Wednesday - November 17, 2010
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By Gary Gardetto
Marketing Manager of USPS Hawaii

The North Shore won’t be the only place in Hawaii that will be hit by big surf this winter. Post offices across the state will be inundated by a wave of special U.S. Postal Service (USPS) large flat rate boxes through the holidays. The limited-edition boxes, featuring a colorful surfboard logo and the tagline: “Seasons Greetings from Hawaii,” will be available beginning Thanksgiving week.

Since their debut back in 2004, flat-rate boxes have held a special place in the hearts of our customers. Hawaii residents have consistently been the No. 1 users of flat-rate boxes in the nation. It’s the simplest, most cost-effective shipping solution for residents to use to send local-style goodies to family, friends and business associates around the world. Last year we added a new twist to it by introducing flat-rate boxes with a special “Aloha from Hawaii” logo. This year we decided to come up with a new logo for the holidays as well as a new year-round logo that will debut in 2011.


The holiday logo flat-rate boxes will be released officially to the public at a special event scheduled for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 22 at Honolulu’s Airport Post Office. The event, titled “Surf into the Season,” will feature contests for customers and employees and a 10-foot-tall surfing snowman constructed with flat-rate boxes. The post office lobby will be decorated like a holiday surf shack, with clerks wearing Santa caps, aloha attire and “Surf Instructor” stickers.

We’re introducing this holiday box because we found that the Aloha flat-rate box was particularly popular during the holidays last year. Our hope is that the unique Hawaii-themed packaging will inspire even more residents to use the boxes to send gifts to the Mainland and internationally.

Gary Gardetto and his retail staff (from left) Joan Capinia, Renee Uehara and Nancy Wong show off the Postal Service’s new holiday flat-rate box

We were the first state in the country with a localized flat-rate box, so it’s natural that we be the first to have a holiday logo box. The new logo features bright colors and surfboard and flower images to remind people of our tropical locale and active lifestyles. That imagery has special appeal during the holidays, when these shipments will be delivered to many customers suffering through cold, snowy weather.

The new logo was one of 56 entries received in an online contest. The surfboard logo was the consensus choice of the selection panel, which included district marketing personnel as well as business customers.

The holiday flat-rate box will be available only through mid-December, when a new year-round logo, a variation on the holiday logo’s surf-board theme, is expected to debut throughout the district and will be available to customers well into 2011.


Hawaii residents should get down to their nearest post office and get these holiday boxes as soon as possible after the Nov. 22 kickoff. Supplies will be limited.

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