Opened Package

maybrown

is not a woman
My center doesn't care about opened packages anymore. They just load to my package car. Of course, my customers are not happy about this.
Usually I must wait for them to check contents.
One-to-one service where to begin when we treat packages like garbage.
 

9/5Everyday

Active Member
I'm in PA and ours doesn't either. Customer service is not a priority anymore. 9-5's, and making supervisors are our top priority. Not Packages.
 

sendagain

Well-Known Member
I suppose some of these packages are products of theft, or potential theft; others are probably the poor packing of a shipper or the forces of weight in feeders or moving down belts. I always carried a roll of tape for just such occasions and used it frequently.
 

aspenleaf

Well-Known Member
I know on my boxline we try to tape up the open boxes and those that are about pop open (you know those that have one corner taped). People keep "stealing" my tape and if a sup doesn't come by to tape it or I can't find tape it goes on the back of the truck for the driver to determine what to do (which is not right but we have to leave before the drivers show up).

It would help if the shipers would put the proper amount of tape on the box. Also it would help if they could use a box that has not been used 100 times already. I hate when I load a box and I hear it pop open spilling whatever all over the shelf.
 

swing_drv

Well-Known Member
Someone is stealing cell phones in our area . Pisses me off . Every freaking cell phone box is opened comming out of Jackson Ms !!!!!!!
 

25yrvet

Well-Known Member
maybrown,
Here are a couple ideas besides the good one you already have. Fill out your p-load report everyday ---NAG 'em about open boxes being loaded in the truck. Next, per your judgement, sheet 'em as damaged & let the clerk inspect the pkgs that night
 

DorkHead

Well-Known Member
Maybrown, I tape most of them when I`m on the road. However, when they are over 70 and just about to fall completely apart I sheet them as other nondelivery-other-big arrow down- Inspect. Then I bring it to the clerk for rewrapping.
 

NI1

Well-Known Member
They never did care about those sort of things. With ups its always 'wait' until the customer complains.
 

Cementups

Box Monkey
I try and tape up boxesthat are open in my package car but if I can't I will put "open" in the remarks column when I sheet the package so that way it is noted.
 

NI1

Well-Known Member
I have had so many experience with retaped boxes.I am not dealing with open boxes, boxes with holes etc.etc. Its not going in my truck. PERIOD!

Its a waste of time having to explain to all your customer why their box is jacked up
 

local804

Well-Known Member
Wow... It is company policy not to load a opened parcel in a package car and I am amazed that it still happens. But then again, if the preload has to tape the package, that 5 minutes per loader x 60 loader per building x hundreds of centers all over the US. Now when the opened package is missing contents, UPS will have no choice but to pay the claim. Penny wise dollar foolish.
When people cant even follow a simple rule like this, when will it stop? I can also bet the house that the supervisors / loaders wouldnt load the opened package in the truck if the loss prevention supervisor was watching.
 

helenofcalifornia

Well-Known Member
Remember when tape guns were like "gold?" Only a few special people had them for use. Now, EVERY driver has one because preload has no time now for rewraps. Cuts into SPOH, but by God, they are taped up and ready to be delivered, thanks to the tape guns provided to every driver.
 

toonertoo

Most Awesome Dog
Staff member
we still are not allowed to have them I have even tried to hide one, so I have one or at least a roll of tape. what the heck if I have 10 open, Ill bring them back, they will get it eventually.
 

NI1

Well-Known Member
we still are not allowed to have them I have even tried to hide one, so I have one or at least a roll of tape. what the heck if I have 10 open, Ill bring them back, they will get it eventually.

Yup...

Also, once the clerk starts to complain about drivers bringing back damaged packages then they will start to get it. :thumbup1:

I have a customer that sells cellphones and everytime I get their box, its either opened or retaped. So I told my manager about the situation, well to make the long story short, nothing was done.

I them told my loader to not load those boxes and let the supervisor know about the problem. One week when I was on vacation, the relief driver delivered a retaped box and lo and behold, 2 cellphones missing. The customer complained and it came to the point that it went to the loss prevention. It became a big deal in that building. I came back and the manager told me that if I see the box for that customer to being it in his office...I was thinking in my mind "I told you so". From that time on, I dont take packages that are retaped or damaged. period.
 

scratch

Least Best Moderator
Staff member
I always tape mine up. I probably go through a roll of tape a week. They gave us tapeguns one time, but its easier for me to just tear a piece off the roll. I will not deliver open boxes to a customer.
 

thelorax

Member
Well here goes... I just had to respond defending loaders. I mean loading 4 trucks at a time with God only knows how many bulk stops... 225 pph, bricked in and you expect the loader to stop and tape every package that is opened or compromised.

I mean, yeah if the loader can then he/she does...but truthfully, just walking the belt for four tucks takes time, not to mention loading docs (if your lucky enought to have them), placing packages in sequential order and acounting for bulk stops. By the time you have located the one tape gun on the belt and it has made its way either up it or down it to you... 10 of your packages have passed you on the belt.

If you want you loader to tape every package, then provide her/him with a tape gun (a working one would be grand). Instead of filling out a report on your loader (we aren't Fed Ex!)... try requesting tape guns for all loaders... better yet have a working and filled tape gun on every truck!That way it could be incorporated easily into a spare moment.

Have to agree that terrible packing accounts for proabably 75% of the opened or compromised packages that I see come down the belt. This is soooo true of e-bay ilk... reusing and reusing and reusing boxes.

Plus whoever came up with using regular tape on 70 # plus boxes.. geesh they have heavy threaded tape for this purpose. :confused:1
 

HazMatMan

Well-Known Member
It's funny how you send open pkgs with damaged written on them to the clerks, in my building open pkgs with the big word damage written next to the label usually comes to us hazmat guys, why? I have no idea. Also why are you writing damage on an open pkg anyway? 9 out of 10 times it just needs tape...And why do you write it so big?? and on all sides of the box?? Going to get a lot of grief from drivers on this one. Swing away..The preloader is NOT supposed to load open pkgs period. Leave all open pkgs outside the pkg car for future tape job, look for a packing list for contents, and compare with merchandise, anything missing alert your sup. If your sup tells you to load open pkgs, knowing it's wrong I would still do it and go to LP later and complain.
 
W

westsideworma

Guest
Wow... It is company policy not to load a opened parcel in a package car and I am amazed that it still happens. But then again, if the preload has to tape the package, that 5 minutes per loader x 60 loader per building x hundreds of centers all over the US. Now when the opened package is missing contents, UPS will have no choice but to pay the claim. Penny wise dollar foolish.
When people cant even follow a simple rule like this, when will it stop? I can also bet the house that the supervisors / loaders wouldnt load the opened package in the truck if the loss prevention supervisor was watching.

I hold them out and then get blasted for having stuff on the belt.

CLEAN IT UP!!
"its broken and I don't have tape"
GET IT IN THE TRUCK!!
"ugh"

doesn't get met tape, more concerned that packages are on the belt. Something I've never really understood. I asked why, I got "it looks better", looks better? we're in an effin' warehouse...not like we've got ivory walls and such here. The most common color is brown....nothing about this place looks good and you're worried about a couple boxes? amuses me.
 

thelorax

Member
I guess you would need to define open package...

I am not talking about damaged packages or content checks... those are another matter for the clerk to handle and/or the damage cage to handle. Besides when we send them down there they usually just end up back on the line with tape all over the fricken place... how is that going to improve the customers perception of package handling??? Are the clerks supposed to be repacking everything in shiny new boxes?

In our center we write a check mark with the letter "d" or "c" to deliniate damage or contents. Writing damage on the side of a package does not accurately describe the problem... loaders are neither trained nor do they have the time to determine damage or contents...not to mention the problem for drivers when they go to deliver a package with "damage" written on it.

It's really funny to think about a loader checking a package for a contents list and such when the package never even fully opened, plus lovinginly re-packing everything, all the while 40 tires need to come off the belt for Costco...

When we say open packages, generally they just need to be properly taped. Like I said the loaders are loading more packages per hour than ever and they have a higher degree of accountablity for those packages than ever. Like way before you come to the package car, you know at 3:45 in the morning... they are signing for misloads and being told they will be"disiplined."

Opened packages may have been poorly taped or may have tape that has been sliced or may have boxes that look damaged but infact were recycled for the umpteenth time by the shipper and shipped that way. Many times the tape will give if you are handling a package literally as you are carrying to it's shelf in the package car. Some of the boxes have almost a static charge that repels the tape...

Bottom line for me is I like it when there is a little more solidarity between loaders and drivers... a mutual appreciation for the contraints and a mutally acceptable solution. Sending every "open" package to damage is not what I think would be most efficient. I see the carts piled there for the clerk from my position on the belt and she has her hands full... plus sending it back down is actually more work for the loader... taking it off the belt, determining position on the shelf, etc., etc.

For my perspective, readily availble tape guns and an effort on everone's part to tape up packages where needed is the best solution.
 
Most loaders in our center seem too be pretty good about not loading open boxes. But if they did and you told our supervisor it wouldn't do any good. Its not something thats effecting their numbers so they wouldn't care. Numbers is all that is cared about anymore. Too many missed scans, not enough stops per car so lets cut some routes, take at least this much break or our numbers are off, make sure you have an 8 hour dispatch, if its 11 hours though we don't care. Start the preload later and cram it down their throats so we can make our pieces per hour.
 
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