A day ahead of the Singles Day shopping spree, couriers were preparing for their busiest day of the year as the State Post Bureau called for delivery workers to be shown greater consideration by customers.

On Tuesday, about 100 couriers from 11 delivery companies gathered for a ceremony at a transport hub in Beijing. They were each given a gift bag by the bureau, which contained a pair of gloves, a rain poncho, lotion and snacks.

Yang Chunguang, deputy head of the bureau, called for the public to show more tolerance of the couriers' situations, such as understanding delivery delays due to the busy period. He also encouraged people to say "thank you" to couriers when they received their packages.

Singles Day is China's largest online shopping spree. It is also considered by delivery service companies the biggest and busiest day of the year.