Australia Post is bringing back weekend services as it gears up for what it expects to be millions and millions of end-of-year deliveries.

Weekend deliveries will resume in capital cities and some regional towns and cities from this Saturday as Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales begin the festive postal boost.

“With Black Friday and Cyber Monday just around the corner, we’re expecting to see a significant spike in parcel volumes and online spending activity,” Australia Post executive general manager parcel, post and ecommerce services, Gary Starr said on Thursday.

“Last year we delivered nearly 103 million parcels over the Black Friday sales period, and we’re ready to go even bigger this holiday season.”

The pre-Christmas sales juggernaut that has developed in Australia in recent years shows no sign of easing. Last year, shoppers were tipped to open their wallets to the tune of nearly $1.2 million in every minute of the four-day consumer spree that begins with Black Friday and ends with Cyber Monday. That came to a whopping $6.7 billion over the period.

This year, the first official day is November 28, but Black Friday sales are already well under way at most retailers.

Australian Retailers Association chief Chris Rodwell said official data showing a 4.3 per cent rise in retail spending in the year to September was “steady and reassuring” heading into the most important trading period of the year.

“Across the last few months, there has been a sustained up-tick in overall levels of retail spending. This gives retailers a solid foundation to plan, hire and invest as we move into Christmas,” he said.

“The November-December peak season can be make-or-break for many discretionary retailers.”

To cope with the expected parcel surge between now and the end of the year, Australia Post has also added thousands of additional staff and expanded its delivery options. It has also introduced more self-service parcel lockers and extended post office trading hours.

The boosted services are expected to remain until Christmas, depending on actual volumes and demand.

Australia Post Christmas delivery cutoff dates

Australia Post has also issued fresh warnings about its final dates for Christmas deliveries.

“To ensure items arrive by Christmas, parcels should be sent by Monday, December 22, for same state deliveries and Friday, December 19, for interstate deliveries, or if sending via Express Post, by Tuesday, December 23,” it said.

“People sending to or from Western Australia, Northern Territory, Tasmania, or regional and remote locations, should allow a few extra days.”

A full list of domestic and international sending deadlines can be found here.