Monday, October 12, 2026 is Columbus Day, and the owner of each franchise decides whether that store opens. So is the UPS Store open on Columbus Day? For UPS the carrier, October 12 is a normal pickup and delivery day, while for the counter only your own store’s listing or a phone call can confirm it.
The UPS Store locations are individually owned and operated, and the chain does not publish one holiday schedule. This guide shows what is known, what is not, and how to check in under two minutes.
Is the UPS Store open on Columbus Day? What the chain says
The company site publishes no holiday hours for stores. Its store locator page tells visitors to contact the local location for hours, and states that products, services, prices and hours of operation may vary by location. UPS’s own holiday schedule page adds a general caution that The UPS Store locations may be closed and that you should check with your local store.
That means no honest source can tell you that every store is open or closed on October 12. Some owners keep regular weekday hours on federal holidays. Others close or shorten the day, especially in strip malls and office buildings that follow the surrounding tenants.
Treat any claim of a nationwide answer with caution. The only reliable answer is the one on your store’s own listing or from a call. For the normal weekly pattern, see what time The UPS Store closes.
Columbus Day dates for 2026 and 2027
The federal government observes Columbus Day on the second Monday of October. The Office of Personnel Management lists the federal holiday dates as Monday, October 12, 2026 and Monday, October 11, 2027.
Many cities and states call the day Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and the date is the same. Local names do not change federal holiday status or carrier schedules.
| Year | Date | Day before | Day after |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Monday, October 12 | Sunday, October 11 | Tuesday, October 13 |
| 2027 | Monday, October 11 | Sunday, October 10 | Tuesday, October 12 |
What is open and what is closed on October 12
The table separates the carrier, the franchise counter and the federal side. Only the first row has a published status for 2026.
| Service | Status on Columbus Day 2026 | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| UPS carrier services | Services available | UPS lists Indigenous People’s Day and Columbus Day (Oct 12) as services available. |
| The UPS Store counter | Set by each store | No central schedule exists. Check the store page or call. |
| UPS Ground Saver and Mail Innovations | One extra business day | UPS says these need one additional business day in transit because of the federal (USPS) holiday. |
| Federal offices | Closed | Columbus Day is a federal holiday under OPM. |
| USPS | Observes the holiday | USPS lists Columbus Day 2026 as October 12. See the USPS Columbus Day guide for what still works. |
How to check your store before you drive
Do this the day before, since a store that closes for the holiday often posts it by then. The steps take about two minutes.
- Open the official store locator on theupsstore.com and enter your ZIP code.
- Open the listing for the exact store you plan to visit and read the hours for Monday, October 12.
- If the listing shows only regular weekly hours, call the store and ask whether it is changing hours for the holiday.
- Ask what time the last drop off is accepted if you have a prepaid label.
- If the store is closed, pick another location or plan for Tuesday, October 13.
The locator also has filters for stores open on Saturday and Sunday. Those help on weekends, but they do not show holiday exceptions.
The Postal Holiday Checker shows which carriers observe a given date, which helps you plan the rest of the shipment around the store visit.
Drop offs, prepaid packages and drop boxes
A store counter is the usual place to hand over a prepaid package. If the store is closed, the counter is closed. There is no central rule that says a UPS Store must keep a drop box available when the door is locked, and the chain does not publish one.
If you want a shipping counter that is open every day, note that Staples lists UPS services as available every day at its stores. Those counters are separate from The UPS Store, and a sample UPS location page for a Staples counter shows drop off times by weekday and says holiday hours are not specified. Hours differ by store there too.
Whichever counter you use, ask for the last drop off time. A package handed over after that time can leave on the next pickup instead of the same day.
What The UPS Store offers when the counter is open
The brand lists domestic shipping, international shipping, packing services and freight shipping. It also lists printing, notary services, mailbox rentals, faxing, passport photos and office supplies. Services and hours may vary by location, so a store that is open may still lack a given service on that day.
Notary and passport photo work depends on staff on duty. If you need either on the holiday, confirm by phone before you go.
If your packages arrive at a store mailbox
People who rent a mailbox at a store can receive packages from any carrier under the mailbox agreement. The store signs for them, and most locations offer 24 hour mailbox access. Whether you can reach the mailbox area on Columbus Day depends on that store’s access rules, so ask your store.
The store counter staff are what you cannot count on. A package that arrives on the holiday will not be handed over until the counter reopens, even if the lobby is accessible.
UPS delivery on the same day
UPS lists the date as services available, which is separate from store hours. For delivery detail, read whether UPS delivers on Columbus Day.
For carrier status overall, see the UPS Columbus Day status page.
Using the weekend and Tuesday as backups
Sunday, October 11, 2026 is the day before. Many stores are closed or run short hours on Sundays, so do not assume a Sunday visit will work as a backup. The UPS Store open today guide covers how to read a listing on any given day.
Tuesday, October 13 is the day after, and it is a regular weekday. Most stores return to normal weekday hours, but the owner decides. If your shipment has a deadline, use Friday, October 9 or Tuesday as your target instead of the holiday.
A rough plan for a time sensitive package works like this. Print and pack by Friday, confirm store hours on Sunday evening, and drop off Tuesday morning if the store is closed Monday.
Columbus Day 2027 and later years
Columbus Day falls on Monday, October 11, 2027. The UPS holiday page currently lists the 2026 holidays through January 1, 2027 and has no entry for October 11, 2027, so check it closer to the date. Store hours will again be up to each owner.
For a full list of days UPS observes, see what holidays UPS is closed.
To compare with an earlier fall holiday, read the Labor Day store hours guide.
The official UPS holiday shipping schedule is where the carrier posts its own dates.
Why store hours differ from carrier hours
UPS the carrier runs the trucks, sorting hubs and delivery routes. The UPS Store is a franchise network that sells shipping and business services to walk in customers. A store can ship a package with UPS while keeping its own opening hours.
That split is why a UPS service day does not guarantee an open store. It is also why a store may open on a day UPS pickups are light. Never read a carrier holiday listing as a store hours promise.
Worked example: is the UPS Store open on Columbus Day near you?
Say you need to ship a returned item that must be dropped off by Monday, October 12, 2026. Check the store listing on Sunday for Monday hours. If it shows regular hours, call and confirm, since listings often keep the standard weekly pattern.
If the store confirms it is open, ask for the last drop off time and arrive well before it. If it is closed, the package waits until Tuesday, October 13, unless you find another open UPS location. Check the return deadline on the retailer’s label first, because one day rarely matters.
Bottom line on Columbus Day store hours
For is the UPS Store open on Columbus Day in 2026, the carrier runs normal services on October 12, but no one can promise your local store will be open. The owner picks the hours and the chain publishes no holiday list. Check the store listing, call if it shows nothing, and keep Tuesday, October 13 as your fallback.
