Yes you know what I'm talking about... Yes... The UPS store...
Its just renamed Mail Boxes etc, you know the same place that charged 45 cents for a 37 cent stamp... They have renamed themselves "The UPS store" and are advertising the crap out of it... And They charge 10-15% more to do UPS than UPS does... Get this... Office depot does UPS at UPS rates... So UPS is cheaper at Office depot than at the UPS store... Worse still some TV news people were going to interview the lines at the UPS store over the weekend... Stoooopid morons. Oh yea the UPS store was open 11-4 on sunday so you can get your packages there on sunday and blah bla bla... Holy crap... Office D'po is open sunday anyway 9-8 or some like that... Far from this being a plug for Office D'po... Its a negative plug for The UPS store/Mail boxes etc...
Cool.
Srinath.
you gotta point there. so for holiday shopping; pass on "the ups store"
My old lady went to the ups store last friday after packing her own stuff, weighing it and getting quotes from ups dot com. She thought she was going to ups. Nice bait and switch. :x She left without doing business because the rates at the counter were so much higher and the counter people were nasty to her. :dunno:
We have daily pick-up here at work.
Box item.
Go online and setup a shipment.
Pay online.
Print out shipping label.
Affix to box.
Set out with all other packages.
Shipped!
I pay ups rates and get pick-up serivce!
Quote from: cozythe rates at the counter were so much higher and the counter people were nasty to her. :dunno:
Oh That is company policy.... and in the one I went to in Sacramento... no one spoke english... The first and last time, before they fooled me this time, but I asked them if the place was an MBE and they were happy to say yes We changed our name very proudly... then I said do you charge more for UPS and she was equally proud to say 10-15% only... I was happy too... said wonderful and left..... BTW the ones here were not bad... but hey they were prolly bad by NC standards.
Cool.
Srinath.
they're all that bad. I worked for a mailboxes etc. clone (pirvately owned copy) for years in college. Some of our rates were almost double UPS and the sheep were willing to pay it just so they didn't have to drive to ups or go to the post office. Me, I'll never use one of those services... my 2 cents.
Jake
dealt with one in phoenix. ended up going direct to ups :guns: :guns: :guns: mbe :guns: :guns: :guns: ups store
Chalk it up to consumer ignorance. Your average consumer does not shop around or research. Thats why there are so many stores doing just fine charging inflated prices
I think it's only fair to point out that these UPS stores are not owned by UPS. They are independently owned and operated franchises; many are family businesses.
Comparing an independent UPS store operation to an Office Depot, for example, is like comparing the old corner drugstore to a city-block size Walgreen's, or the neighborhood hardware store to Home Depot or Lowes. They are completely different in business structure, and services offered. IMHO, there are plenty of customers for each format.
I consider myself a reasonably savvy consumer, and personally, so long as pricing is even in the ballpark, I'd rather patronize a good veteran hardware man, or an experienced neighborhood pharmacist, as opposed to some out-of-work second-string plumbing contractor selling plywood at Lowe's, or a kid in a mega-drugstore dispensing bad advice, whose job last week was delivering pizzas....or, maybe even the doofus at Office Depot who will misplace my parcel in a back room somewhere under the radiator, and lose it for the next 4 months, instead of shipping it like he was supposed to..oh well, he was ready to go on break anyway...
I go directly to FedEx. Their ground rates are cheaper than UPS.
Quote from: dmp221I think it's only fair to point out that these UPS stores are not owned by UPS. They are independently owned and operated franchises; many are family businesses.
Comparing an independent UPS store operation to an Office Depot, for example, is like comparing the old corner drugstore to a city-block size Walgreen's, or the neighborhood hardware store to Home Depot or Lowes. They are completely different in business structure, and services offered. IMHO, there are plenty of customers for each format.
I consider myself a reasonably savvy consumer, and personally, so long as pricing is even in the ballpark, I'd rather patronize a good veteran hardware man, or an experienced neighborhood pharmacist, as opposed to some out-of-work second-string plumbing contractor selling plywood at Lowe's, or a kid in a mega-drugstore dispensing bad advice, whose job last week was delivering pizzas....or, maybe even the doofus at Office Depot who will misplace my parcel in a back room somewhere under the radiator, and lose it for the next 4 months, instead of shipping it like he was supposed to..oh well, he was ready to go on break anyway...
What.... OK the Franchaise vs the mega store concept I get, but the same doofii (plural of doofus???) work at both places, and in fact I have been treated better at Office depot than UPS store, and worse yet, OD has a dedicated counter for Fed ex and UPS, and have terminals to print your labels etc free, provide shopping carts to take your stuff from the car, and nothing gets lost cos it all has a tracking code and they insure everything to $100 free (UPS feature not OD). UPS store being family biz... nope I dont hink so. BTW if you didn't know some franchaise inside info... The old mail boxes etc didn't have a good rap as being a decent company to open a franchaise for, now they have simply changed shape and are fooling people more effectively. Shipping expertise... I think not. And Lowes/HD vs Mom and pop hardware store... again mom and pop know a few things. HD and Lowes stock everything and are fairly decent at dispensing advise on nearly everything. Its just numbers though. Mom and pop have 2 brains. The average HD/Lowes has ~50 at any given time. Hence chances of getting a guy that knows what you want are more.
Cool.
Srinath.
. Its just numbers though. Mom and pop have 2 brains. The average HD/Lowes has ~50 at any given time. Hence chances of getting a guy that knows what you want are more.
Cool.
Srinath.[/quote]
:lol: I'm amused at the general level of retail service regardless of size or format...it seems that, in general, people selling a product tend to know less and less about it. We do, howver, agree on the numbers.
~50 x 0 = 0.
Happy New Year to all!!
But seriously...my point is that it's unrealistic to expect an independent franchisee of 1 or 2 stores to be able to offer the same economies of scale and pricing structure of huge chains, so typically the small operator offers superior services...and like everywhere, large store formats included, some are better at it than others.
It usually all comes down to individuals.
Again, happy new year to all.
Competing with a large operation.... is exactly what franchaising is supposed to do. Of course the Mail Boxes etc.... started out probably trying to cheat people into thinking they were the post office... but the 45c for a 37c stamp was a bit obvious... so the new deception is much more covert... the only way you'll figure out is by asking them if they cost more... and usually they say no or I dont know, and you have to pretend to send it, and when they tell you the price... BAM you take it back... much to their anger and disappointment, and then go to the Real UPS and check the price, and there you have it. I'll believe the smaller stores give you extra and better service/advice when I see it. One aspect I will grant you though... if you are cutting keys, and want a key cut from the bottom instead of the top... I have cut GS keys from a volvo blank etc and to make that work... you have to have a hand cutter... yhou know the old style one with 2 parallel stations, onev with a tracer and another with a cutter, the guy sets then, uses the keyways and etc etc, and then traces the teeth profile... The walmart and HD and big chain Key cutting machine... will give you a key that will not work. Their casette type machine will cut very quickly, but it cuts from the top... not bottom... and in real life a key works from the bottom.
Cool.
Srinath.
One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that large volume shippers negotiate a rate with UPS that's considerably less than the standard rate paid by casual shippers. Office Depot has obviously gotten a negotiated rate that allows them to still make a reasonable mark-up charging 'standard' rates. The UPS Store is a large enough organization that it SHOULD have the same advantage which means they make a lot more per package than you think they do. Unless, of course, since being a franchise, each store is treated as an individual business. Then, their volume would be low enough that they'd pay standard rates and you're paying extra for the convienence.
Yes more $$$ in their pockets... for no effort... That's what they are all about... MBE was sorta famous for doing that. Basically you pay $250,000 for nothing ... That was their business plan for the franchaisee. Now since it sounds more official and UPS has plastered the world with "what can brown do for you" they probably want 1/2 milliion.
Cool.
Srinath.