Office Depot and UPS

[Orion inc.]

Aw you poor guy I bet that dolly really feels the pain

that would suck if you ran over your foot with your lawn mower while it was running. Or you're probably the "smart " guy who would stick his hand under there to break a jam while the engine is running???

Yeah that would be just terrible

 

[Trackless in brown]

There stock is worth half of what it was worth one year ago ($3.69) as of today...

 

[bottomups]

I'm sure they're big accounts, but I wouldn't mind seeing Henry schein, and nestle dog food go to 'ol purple.

Used to peddle alot of Chewy's dog food months ago. Lost that account to FedEx. Don't miss it.

 

[worldwide]

Has anyone here, heard anything about OD switching over to FedEx as their primary shipper? I've gotten conflicting information from two stores. Will OD stop accepting UPS customer drop offs or will they only accept UPS packages if paying shipping exclusively thru OD?

FedEx replaces UPS at Office Depot stores

Losing a customer, especially a large one like OD that had a longstanding relationship with UPS, is rarely a good thing. OD likely had very good package characteristics - almost all commercial deliveries, multiple pieces per stop, heavy. FedEx Ground must have really dropped their pants to win this account but they are already advantaged over UPS due to a lower labor cost. Say what you will about heavy packages, multiple boxes of paper, etc. but losing a high volume commercial shipper with a likely higher than average revenue per piece is not a good thing for UPS. It may not impact the higher seniority drivers but it just makes it take a little longer now for some part-timers that were on the bubble of going full time. it also gives FedEx "bragging rights" to say they now have 1,500 more locations to ship from, creating more pressure on The UPS Store network and other UPS shipping outlets.

 

[wayfair]

office depot....

I have delivered a single disposable roll of scotch tape from them

also, they forgot to put a stick of glue in an order.... so they boxed up a stick of glue to send to the customer...

SMH

 

[clean hairy]

I'm sure they're big accounts, but I wouldn't mind seeing Henry schein, and nestle dog food go to 'ol purple.

And the Fruitcakes from Collin Street bakery.

 

[scooby0048]

FedEx replaces UPS at Office Depot stores

Losing a customer, especially a large one like OD that had a longstanding relationship with UPS, is rarely a good thing. OD likely had very good package characteristics - almost all commercial deliveries, multiple pieces per stop, heavy. FedEx Ground must have really dropped their pants to win this account but they are already advantaged over UPS due to a lower labor cost. Say what you will about heavy packages, multiple boxes of paper, etc. but losing a high volume commercial shipper with a likely higher than average revenue per piece is not a good thing for UPS. It may not impact the higher seniority drivers but it just makes it take a little longer now for some part-timers that were on the bubble of going full time. it also gives FedEx "bragging rights" to say they now have 1,500 more locations to ship from, creating more pressure on The UPS Store network and other UPS shipping outlets.

We might have lost them now after 16 years but I have a feeling, and someone else already mentioned it, that there will be probably not be an OD too much further in the future. They will go away and Quill and Staples will step up to the plate to satisfy all the office supply needs.

 

[scooby0048]

The question remains...will they still ship UPS out if requested or will they exclusively use FedEx and then refuse to accept UPS packages as a drop off point from customers?

 

[Orion inc.]

We might have lost them now after 16 years but I have a feeling, and someone else already mentioned it, that there will be probably not be an OD too much further in the future. They will go away and Quill and Staples will step up to the plate to satisfy all the office supply needs.

My guess is ups is probably working on an exclusive partnership with staples. Even more than they have now. With the development of access point and the access lockers ups has from the company in Europe they bought, somebody is working an angle here to rival this.

 

[scooby0048]

My guess is ups is probably working on an exclusive partnership with staples. Even more than they have now. With the development of access point and the access lockers ups has from the company in Europe they bought, somebody is working an angle here to rival this.

And that could very well be the reason they are splitting up with us...might have found out what we were scheming!

 

[Orion inc.]

And that could very well be the reason they are splitting up with us...might have found out what we were scheming!

theres no way ups corporate didn't see this coming awhile back

 

[brett636]

Losing a large account even if the boxes can be heavy is never good. Those packages are how UPS pays our paychecks/benefits and the more of that we lose to fedex the fewer of us UPS will need going forward. The morons cheering on the losing of an account and call for more accounts to be lost obviously don't get that shipping packages is our core business and is how we stay employed. Sure it may make your job easier in the short run, but could end up in no job at all for you and or your fellow teamsters in the future. Even the high seniority guys should be concerned as UPS is a major contributor to all of our pension funds. Those that are teetering on the edge of insolvency, and there are many, could be pushed into it just by UPS contributing less or even not at all. How many high seniority guys want to see their pension cut substantially right before or during retirement?

I wonder though, I have an office depot discount card that supposedly got me the same supplier discount UPS got for their office supplies. Usually would knock a few cents off of what ever small purchases I made there. I am guessing that card will no longer be honored at office depot?

 

[KOG72]

A lot of customers leave thinking they are getting a better deal somewhere else,then a couple of weeks later you hear them complaining about how long it took the other guys to get it there.A lot of times they come back figuring out the grass is not always greener on the other side.

 

[brett636]

A lot of customers leave thinking they are getting a better deal somewhere else,then a couple of weeks later you hear them complaining about how long it took the other guys to get it there.A lot of times they come back figuring out the grass is not always greener on the other side.

This is probably true of smaller accounts where the decision makers are the ones working on or with the docks and see how things work in the shipping industry. A large account can be much slower to switch from one carrier to another because they sign multi year contracts in ivory towers where those same decision makers never see a single box, only numbers on a spreadsheet. And when those agreements expire they have worked out the bugs with their new carrier or they have forgotten how good they had it with us. We lose enough of these large accounts and eventually there won't be a need for UPS as we know it today.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

Used to peddle alot of Chewy's dog food months ago. Lost that account to FedEx. Don't miss it.

I preferred it to the others. It was usually in a medium sized box and smaller box instead of one big heavy jalopy box like the others.

 

[bottomups]

We might have lost them now after 16 years but I have a feeling, and someone else already mentioned it, that there will be probably not be an OD too much further in the future. They will go away and Quill and Staples will step up to the plate to satisfy all the office supply needs.

Quill is owned by Staples.

 

[scooby0048]

Quill is owned by Staples.

Did not know that...thanks for the info.

 

[OrioN]

Slight derail, but did u guys still have QVC and Moms Meals? I had a couple of them in my FedEx uhaul boxtruck the past few weeks...

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

There is definitely a disconnect between corporate/sales/IE and the drivers/customers/real world. Saving miles is the only important number right now at UPS and FedEx is aware of that weakness and is exploiting it. DHL is too. They are going after our international accounts and corporates answer is for us to submit sales leads everytime we see a DHL pickup piece. Meanwhile....UPS Stores advertise that DHL is their preferred international shipper. LOL! You can't make this shiiiiat up.

 

[worldwide]

The question remains...will they still ship UPS out if requested or will they exclusively use FedEx and then refuse to accept UPS packages as a drop off point from customers?

According to the WSJ, UPS will still keep the shipping business...

"An Office Depot spokeswoman said that while UPS has been a valued partner for 16 years, the company’s retail-store shipping-services relationship with UPS will end next month. However, Office Depot will continue to use UPS’s services within its supply-chain function, she said."