New Delivery Methods?!?!?!?

The option of UPS dropping off packages at the post office for delivery to the end customer is a method to reduce shipping costs. At many locations, lots of packages from many vendors get dropped off at the post office which gives UPS a more efficient delivery to the area. UPS does not have to as make many stops in the area if they do not have packages fitting that delivery methods.

The down side is it does take extra time for for the end customer to get his package.

Sometimes seems a little inefficient when you get a package direct and another goes to the post office on the same day.

A friend of mine ran a business for a while. UPS would drop off his deliveries at one stop and come back later to pick up his shipments. The driver told my friend they would empty the truck first before refilling it. Seems inefficient but they do not get packages to be delivered mixed up with packages to being shipped. I am sure they have other reasons they do this to keep shipping costs as low as possible.

Most places have a selection of delivery methods and the customer to choose the method and pay the associated costs.

I mail order virtually all of my reloading supplies and equipment and choose the least cost shipping method. I can wait a day or two more and save a little.

Sometimes with my race car I need a part right now for an up coming event and I am willing to pay for premium shipping.

I have the same issue. Midway ships UPS to USPS if I don't remember to check the shipping method. The problem here is that the UPS truck doesn't get here till after the P.O. closes and the delivery status goes as attempted 2 or 3 times before the driver goes door to door with packages. I have stopped the UPS guy on my motorcycle and carried a big ass box home on the bike. Called UPS and "the shipper" several times to complain. Good Luck

This was due to a cooperative agreement between UPS and the USPS. UPS had the superior tracking system and USPS wanted the software, so they traded services for service.

This was the explanation I received from my regular UPS delivery driver.

Hope this helps.

Fred

In another thread I mentioned I ordered two Kershaw knives from KnifeCenter.
They shipped from Laurel MA, 1,123 miles from here.
From there, they got to Lenexa KS in 2.5 days.

WOW! 1,095 miles and 6 stops at UPS shipping hubs in 2.5 days!

Lenexa KS is only 28 miles from my front door.

But it took the post office three more days to get it the last 28 miles.

Six days total!!

I know there were other shipping options when I ordered.
But it said UPS, and expected delivery in 3 to 4 days.

It didn't say UPS 3 days, plus another 3 days waiting on USPS to haul it the last 28 miles.

rc

I had a package (UPS) that showed on line that it was dropped at PO on thursday-set for delivery on monday BUT it was delivered on friday ??
Can you use Fed-EX ??

UPS/USPS - Why Is One Profitable, and the Other One Broke?

I have made a practice of ordering everything UPS Ground. Nevertheless, some of it goes UPS to USPS. My local Post Office gets drops from UPS, and I live 180 ft. from it in a village of 38 houses. I have actually had a shipment where the UPS truck stopped at the house to deliver one box, and dropped the other at the Post Office!

Sometimes UPS drops at another P.O. about 15 miles from me, and I wait 2-3 days for them to get it to my local P.O.

The thing seems to have neither Rhyme nor Reason...

Very few UPS problems here... I recently had a 2 day package make a 400 mile trip in 10 hours.

Where I live the UPS Red overnight delivery means at least 2 days. Same as Blue 2 day with higher price.:banghead: BUT the regular shipping from New England (Mass, RI, or Portland ME) are delivered overnight to me in downeast ME. A sad commentary on the way MANY THINGS are these days.

The new Innovations system is the spawn of the devil, or Chicago politicians, take your pick, they're the same. I've also had packages sit for 2-3 days in some PO with no movement. Try to watch the web site when you order, and if there's a section for remarks, enter "MUST SHIP USPS" and watch the order to see if they do this. Generally most sellers will do what you ask, but be aware the shipping cost might be a little bit higher. After all, the purpose of Innovations is to reduce cost.

Eeyup, been sitting and waiting on an order from Midway for over a week now. Ordered on 10/5- Lenexa Ks to Phoenix then to Globe Az then BACK to Phoenix for some unknown reason then BACK to Safford,Az on 10/8 (Holiday) then to the PO on 10/9 so MAYBE I will get it today.

UPS would drop off his deliveries at one stop and come back later to pick up his shipments.

Click to expand...

This is the arrangement where I work... they come twice a day every day and it goes slick as butter.

We have the software and scale all set up, so the bar code labels are printed and attached, and UPS knows exaclty how many packages to expect. Our outbound will fill half the van on average, and some days the guy comes back towing a trailer, and we'll fill both the van and the trailer.

If you want UPS to the door of your residence, I believe you have to pay for the upgrade to 2-3 day service.

Realize that a lot of stores (like Midway) have a pick up option, so I think it's fair that they only charge handling (the cost of the box and labor to pack it) to the customers that use that service.

UPS is not the only one, Fedex has a program called Fedex smart post where they deliver your package to your local post office and they deliver it to your house, problem is like UPS is the box sits there for 2-4 days before they deliver it. I have a box sitting there now for 3 days and I think I am going down there and try pick it up myself.

You know guys, I looked at this the other day, I thought, "You've got to be kidding me, worrying about delivering?" Well I've changed my mind on this subject! I placed an order with Midway this past Mon. aft., just like always, shipped by UPS... until I saw today's notice on shipping. The order shipped UPS from KC, Kan., heres the good part, then went USPS to someplace in Happy Valley, Utah, skipped the whole state of Colorado where it needed to be delivered ! "Expected delivery, Mon., 10-15-2012." I won't make you endure any more of my diatribe, I now see what you're all bitchin' about!

OT sorta, but the reason UPS makes 2 visits a day is so they can deliver packages as early in the day as possible, then give people and business time during the day to get their outbound packages ready to go. My business received our inbounds at around 10 AM, and the outbounds went out around 4 PM. We had all day to pack and prepare our shipments.

It wouldn't work as well if they delivered AND picked up at 10 AM. The same-day packages (which we used quite a bit) would probably all have to wait a full day in our shipping department before they got picked up.

Fed X is now doing the same thing calling it Fed X smart post. Order from WI fed x to KC in 1 day 250 miles from me. Turned over to usps in KC. 3 more days to local po
then 2 days to deliver. Unless its free shipping I will not ship this way again.

Fast, good, cheap.

you usually only get to pick two

I'll take fast and cheap.

Where do I sign ?

I get none of these three options with any regularity.

I'm just glad I have a delivery box closer to a main city, as opposed to having things sent directly to my house. I've watched things in transit get pinged around trying to get to my house using "innovations" and its not pretty.

For everyone who lives near the singular midway pickup point, im glad that they can make use of that. For the other 49(ish) states , we have to wait on the United Slacking and Payment Service >.<

The sad thing is, USPS has a great product in flat rate... The software they got from UPS for this trade was supposed to make tracking of packages and filing of insurance claims ACTUALLY possible...unfortunately, this has yet to occur. Thats really the only thing missing. Once they fix that, and can actually compete with the other two in knowing where a package is- the USPS might actually become viable as a business again....not before.

I love flat rate.

I know now why big business wont use it.

I have problems with midway also. the shipment gets to a point and comes up the person not living there anymore .I never moved .I swithched to graf&sons with fed x no problems .