Mahoning Valley - The U.S. Postal service announced some big temporary changes and you can expect to pay between 25 cents to $5 dollars more depending on the weight.

Some first-class mail will also take up to two days longer to arrive starting Friday.

These changes are part of the postal service's 10-year plan in "achieving financial sustainability and service excellence."

Shipping delays are expected every year, but this year there are continued circumstances that are sure to impact the holiday season.

"They expect the package volume to be up at least 7 to 10 percent this year," Tracy Schott, owner of Send it Packin' in Austintown said. 

The continued shortage of truck drivers and workers on all levels is just one of the factors putting a burden on shipping companies, coupled with winter weather and more online shopping than ever, so logjams are expected. 

Dr. Omid Bagheri said the U.S. Post Office upping prices and the delivery window is a necessity in order to move forward and perform its services.

"It is, of course, making sense that a service like that of USPS is changing price and increasing in prices every now and then because they have to be able to pay the people that are working for them," Bagheri said, "They have to pay for all the resources they are using which are now affected by inflation."

Schott advises people to plan ahead and ship as early as possible. 

"Same as last year," she said, "Expect delays."

Another tip from Schott is to ship items you order online to the home of the person receiving them rather than getting them shipped to your house. She said this will save time and money, too.