The holiday season usually means a surge in greeting-card sales and more demands on postal services, and this year should be no different.

Despite anthrax scares and a sluggish economy, retail shops are reporting sales have not slowed.

A recent poll conducted by the U.S. Postal services and the Greeting Card Association shows 86 percent of the public is not concerned with handling or opening greeting cards or other personal mail.

The same poll indicated fewer than 10 percent will be sending fewer cards due to the anthrax scare.

Linda Dyer, owner of Gift & Bible Inc., 5823 W. Saginaw Highway in Lansing, said customers have been buying their holiday greeting cards in droves.

Dyer owns two other shops in Lansing and Okemos and said sales should increase from last year’s numbers.

“I think that people are holding friendships a little more close,” she said. “When we lost a lot of people, we appreciated the fact that we still have others.”

The stores have also been experiencing higher sales on cards that have sentimental value, she said.

“We sell a lot of inspirational cards that have a little bit deeper meaning,” she said. “There are more serious cards out there, not so much funny and I think people are reading it for a little deeper meaning.”

The larger sale of sentimental cards also seems to be in other card retail shops as well.

Chris Barajas, lead sales associate for Hallmark Creations, 446 Frandor Ave. in Lansing, said personal and family cards have been popular with customers.

“You want to tell people more how you feel about them,” she said.

The higher amount of card sales may mean more work for the U.S. Postal Service.

This might be good news for the service, in the wake of the estimated $3 billion in damages from the combined bioterrorism scares and the Sept. 11 attacks.

The service had estimated a loss of $1.35 billion before Sept. 11.

Chris Dennis, an employee for the East Lansing Post Office, 1140 Abbott Road, said the amount of mail has been pretty consistent.

Dennis said the office receives about 35,000 magazine-sized packages and between 4,000 and 5,000 packages for pickup every day and expects the numbers to rise as the holiday season draws closer.

Other delivery services are expecting to do well during the holiday season despite a slow economy.

Sally Davenport, spokeswoman for FedEx, said typically there is an increase in packages sent out the week before Christmas.

Davenport said the normal volume of packages is 4.5 million per week.

Last year the number rose to 6.2 million packages the week before Christmas.

“The economy has had more of an affect on FedEx than the recent (anthrax activities),” she said. “When our customers are hurt by the economy it hurts us as well.”

But Davenport said she expects business will be as usual during the holiday season.

“To put it at a basic roundup number, on Dec. 19 we will be handling about 6 million packages that day,” she said.