3 times this week I have been overcharged at the UPS store compared to their website Detailed Charges as listed.
They jack up the Rural Surcharge over $2.

I sent a 5 lb package to Oregon last week and it cost me just over $21.
Only $3 of that was for additional insurance.

2lb package to MN cost $9.36
It is just getting ridiculous.

My question is, Does Staples charge their own surcharge or is it actual UPS counter rates?

Thanks,
Keith

Hi Keith, The web rates are only good if you are taking the package to a customer counter at a UPS center. The surcharges pay for the additional people and buildings at UPS stores.

Staples probably does add to shipping charges. I have been driving a brown truck for almost 25 years and have dealt with hardware stores, drug stores, hotels and so on that ship for people off the street. They add some to cover their time and the daily pick up fee.

I agree that the prices are too high. Before UPS went public with stock the corporate agenda was to make 2 to 3 percent profit per year. Now they are around 13 percent and want more. The bottom line is UPS is just like all of corporate America. Increase profits by hammering employes and raising rates to make money for the stockholders and keep the stock price up. I hate wall street "expectations."

So you think working stiffs who have had seen their pension programs evaporate, retirement health care cost burden dumped directly on them, and who understand that the social security program is heading for a major disaster, so through survival instincts they are left to fend for themselves through 401K and other such savings and investment programs, they should be happy with 2-3 percent return on their investment when inflation is nearly twice that? Stockholders and shareholders aren't just nameless, faceless yuppies and stay at home soccer moms toting their chubby brood around in 10 mpg SUVs, they're tens of millions of average Joes, Janes, and grandmas who don't want to be flipping burgers or greeting Wal Mart shoppers till the day before the lid finally gets closed on them.

TRue but the reason that pensions and health care have been dumped is for the bottom line. Employees are just a line item, an expense. Cut costs to turn a better profit, that is why so many customer service calls are being answered in other countries, goods are being made in other countries. The jobs are going over seas and the stocks are being sold over seas, our generation is going to be the first where the standard of living is going to diminish for the actual worker.

Pomfish the best thing to do is set up and account with UPS if you are shipping often. Just to give you a heads up I hear gas surcharges are going up 20%.

I guess the best thing to do is to buy stocks in the companies you
spend the most money with.Then in a way you can feel like you are
investing in yourself.My friend starting buying stock in the petroleum
industry years ago and he is sitting pretty good right now.The big
problem is greed,why should CEOs get performance bonuses even
when their company loses money?The S.S. money has been robbed
from for decades.The people need to take the power back but the
media has cast labor unions in a bad light.The only reason we had
a prosperous period in the modern age was because of the unions.
Now with NAFTA etc., the working class will always be just cheap
labor.

My apologies for jumping on this. I didn't want this to turn into a political debate. My only point is that there are a lot of people whose lives depend on the performance of companies in a highly competitive marketplace, great companies like UPS, and we want them to turn out a fantastic bottom line because there are a lot more people who are affected than just the employees of the company. Any company who is dependent on transportation costs, directly or indirectly, is feeling the pinch right now. Delivery services can't amortize their costs by raising prices on say a manufactured product and pass it on to consumers, like other companies do. Their whole product is the service. Increased fuel cost to them equals increased cost of their service, unless of course they cut expenses somewhere else, like wages and benefits. Be careful what you ask for.

What bothers me I guess is that USPS does not charge any "Rural Surcharge" and really, how does one determine where Rural starts?
But with USPS, I do not understand how the Media price can be 1/5 of Parcel Post and get there in the same time frame?

So, can I add a CD to each package I sell and call it Media?

Thanks and I did not want to start a Political debate either, this Gas thing is really screwing up our once Great Economy and Really I don't think either party will be able to fix this mess for quite some time.
Thanks,
Keith

3 times this week I have been overcharged at the UPS store compared to their website Detailed Charges as listed.
They jack up the Rural Surcharge over $2.

I sent a 5 lb package to Oregon last week and it cost me just over $21.
Only $3 of that was for additional insurance.

2lb package to MN cost $9.36
It is just getting ridiculous.

My question is, Does Staples charge their own surcharge or is it actual UPS counter rates?

Thanks,
Keith

I ship everything from home. I use the PayPAl MultiOrder Shipping. It allows you to print everything from Express Mail to First class. You could have used one of the Post office's Flat Rate Boxes and shipped it for 7.00. You can go online and order the boxes from the Post Office and they come right to you door FREE. You can even get the Priority Mail Stickers so you can use your own boxes. I shrink the mailing label when I print it to fit the smaller boxes I use. All in all I am very happy with this system. Unfortunately you can no do 1st Class at the USPS web site yet.

Roger Corrie

Roger,
The bigger of the 2 that went to OR was too much stuff to fit the Flat rate boxes.
I do like that option though.

I use USPS from Paypal alot on smaller stuff an it works great.
Thanks,
Keith

Just info...

UPS bought out Mail Boxes etc. several years ago. UPS Stores ( most likely ) are still thrid party owners and franchise's. At MBE you were charge double what UPS charges for the
"convinence" of having a close place to drop of your packages. Same concept as a 7-11 stores.

Voxxer
www.koinhedz.com

I remember well when UPS bought them and they Advertised Counter Rates, No Surcharges.

That is the only reason I started using them.
Anyway, Time to try Staples, they may not charge surcharge figuring you will buy something else while you are there to drop off your package.
And they are probably right:)
I'm a sucker for sales.

Thanks,
Keith

I have found FedEx to be the least expensive service for large, heavy items. You just have to drop it off at the nearest Kinkos; as far as I know, there is no additional charge.
Get an online account and you can print the mailing label from home. Then you just drop it off - no waiting.
However, I'm sure the rates are going up --- fast.

Joe

USPS does not charge any "Rural Surcharge"

USPS doesn't have to make a profit. If they need to cover their increased expenses all they have to do is go back to the one source of money that can never be throttled and with "investors" have no say in the matter. :(

AfxToo, my monitor was smokin' :) The 2 to 3 I am talking about is up and beyond any and all expenses (including inflation) that was reinvested in the company. For more than 90 years it was privately owned by current and previous management and the heirs of those people. Believe me when I say the stockholders being management treat themselves very well. No need to cry for them.

I agree with what you said. I also agree with bumpercar88. Here is how I sum it up. You got three groups. 1-workers 2-consumers 3 stockholders. Right now 3 rules with an iron fist. Funny thing is all 3s are also 2s. A 1s are 2s. Many 3s are 1s. We all get less for more. There used to be more of a balance in the distribution of wealth.

Workers are treated like faceless entities. Took a cut in pay? Lost your benefits? Can't afford gas? Lost your job? Can't make ends meet? Don't worry be happy the stock is up?

What is a reasonable profit? I don't think any of us were filling our tanks thinking I sure am happy paying $4 a gallon for gas! You go Exxon!

Excessive profit is hurting everyone.

Workers are treated like faceless entities. Took a cut in pay? Lost your benefits? Can't afford gas? Lost your job? Can't make ends meet? Don't worry be happy the stock is up?

Excessive profit is hurting everyone.

Beautifully stated.
Unless and until corporations are restrained, both in size and influence, the reins of power have already passed from the people to the few, very wealthy. Certainly in the US, corporations have far more influence than the people.
When you look at the rescue of Bear Stearns by the government, that was for one reason only. A collapse of such a huge corporation would, the theory goes, severely damage the economy. If any one corporation gets so large that it can "severely damage the economy", then that corporation is too big.
Sorry for the off topic post, but this is a topic which I consider one of the most important of our time.

Joe