When Did You First Hear of UPS?

[scratch]

I was wondering about when was the first time that our vast Brown Cafe audience first heard about a company called UPS? While this company first started in Seattle back in 1907, it took over a half century to expand across the entire United States, and longer than that to reach just about the rest of the world.

For me, it was about 1974 when I was a teenager. UPS came to Georgia in 1965. I used to motocross race, and my dad was one of those people who knew everybody. When Honda first started building two-stroke MX bikes, he knew the owner of Honda of Atlanta and got me one of the first of two CR125 Elsinore racing bikes in this area. If I broke something on it, I had to order parts from American Honda in Gardena, Ca. Two days later, a brown truck would pull up in front of our house with a Blue Label Air package for me. When I started my Senior year in High School, the best part time job was at UPS loading trucks at $4.25 an hour. The fast food places paid kids $2.10, so in October '75 I got hired for Peak Season and have been here ever since.

What about you?

 

[Fnix]

I was playing ball in the street in 1994 and I was about 7 and the UPS guy drove by. He still works in my center.

 

[MonavieLeaker]

Used to ride with my grandfather when he dropped off packages at the customerr counter

 

[barnyard]

I was on my paper route in Racine, Wi. I was collecting from subscribers and on my way home at about 8:30 on a Friday night. A UPS truck stopped and asked if I knew where someone lived. I pointed out the house and he delivered.

I still think about that guy when I am working late.

TB

 

[dannyboy]

the best Part Time job was at UPS loading trucks at $4.25 an hour. The fast food places paid kids $2.10

and they wonder why the quality of job applicants has dwindled? now the kid at wendy's makes $9.25 with bennies and ups pays what, 8 bucks? and no bennies for at least a year?

heard of ups in 71 or 72, began working there in 72. same time a company called rea was selling off its delivery equipment in our area.

d

 

[Cementups]

Don't know that I ever really noticed UPS driving around as a kid other than seeing commercials on TV.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

I don't remember when I first heard of UPS but I didn't really notice UPS until I was right out of high school. My mom kept suggesting that I go down to UPS and apply. She wouldn't let up. Kept telling me how UPS had a good reputation and that it was a good college job. I went to the center here in town to apply. There is no HR so I went to the customer counter and the counter person was actually someone I had met a few weeks earlier at my friends fraternity party. He told me that UPS would probably be on strike the next week and that I probably should wait until it blows over to apply. A week later UPS was on strike. I ended up waiting two years before I applied again.

 

[upsgrunt]

I grew up on a farm, and when UPS would deliver to our house, (it always seemed like we were eating lunch at the time), we always offered the guy a can of pop, an apple, a sandwich, whatever and he always seemed so grateful. Now I realize that a can of pop or an apple meant more than money to that guy as I know how it feels. I remember telling my folks after I started driving that I'm sure their old UPS guy bragged about them to his buddies about their kindness and how what they offered him was so appreciated because I know how much I appreciate it now.

Anyway, I went off to college and I can't remember why I thought UPS would be such a great job, but I did and applied and the rest is history. I do remember I had a heck of a time with the old alpha charts and wanted to quit many times during the first two months, but one day it just clicked and it was so much easier after that. If I had to give one piece of advise to anyone new, it would be to just hang in there because one day it will "just click" and that's when you know you will make it.

Steve

 

[rod]

Saw my first UPS guy when he deliverd a small package to my Dad while I was working for him after school--1964---and like everyone else just assumed he was some kind of post office delivery person.

 

[DS]

I was in the music distribution business for about 10 years selling LP's, 8 tracks, cassettes, and eventually cd's.I worked for Alldisc, Sound insight,and then Records on wheels.I was making $15 an hour and after being turned down for a raise I was helping Murray,the ups guy load up and he suggested I apply and told me to mention his name.I was 35 years old back then in 1990.That was 18 years ago and I'm still at it looking more like Keith Richards than stevetheupsguy.Murray got $50 for recruiting me and soon vanished into feeders.

 

[McLeod]

As a little kid I remember our UPS driver comming late morning to our farm with parts or Mason
Shoes. Dad always said to us "no grass grows under his feet!!" That driver just retired this past winter, he was loved and knew by everyone.

 

[mattwtrs]

I seem to remember the UPS guy delivering my mom's Tupperware back in the mid 60's. Because of the 100lb. weight limit some of the boxes were addressed to our neighbors. After being told to go get them after school 5 or 6 times, my grandma told the guy to bring it all to our house and she'd sign for all of them. No driver release back then.

Here it is 40 years later and I'm retired from Buster Brown!

 

[longlunchguy]

I worked on a receiving dock for a department store chain in the early "70s. The UPS guy was named Shorty. The thing I remember most was he made more in an hour ( $14.50) than I made all day...$2.00 x7hrs ($14.00).

Fifteen years and a major life change and moving to Florida with my wife and young daughter, I got hired as a seasonal employee and haven't left.

 

[JustTired]

Not sure of the year (guessing late 60s-early 70s) we had a center go in at an old gas station about a block from our house. Didn't pay a lot of attention to it at the time. Got a peak season driving job Christmas 82. Retired this past June.

Funny....now that I'm out, the company doesn't seem near as bad as I thought the last several years were. Go figure.

 

[nobber]

July 1972, A cousin of mine called and said UPS was hiring. He was a supv. in the Livonia Hub. I got hired FT 2 weeks out of high school. $5.44 an hour. I was making $2.00 more and hour then my father who worked in a plastic factory for 20 yrs. After 36 yrs I am still here. Alittle more then 1 yr to go

 

[mattwtrs]

July 1972, A cousin of mine called and said UPS was hiring. He was a supv. in the Livonia Hub. I got hired FT 2 weeks out of high school. $5.44 an hour. I was making $2.00 more and hour then my father who worked in a plastic factory for 20 yrs. After 36 yrs I am still here. Alittle more then 1 yr to go

The last year has some long days but the year does slip by rather quickly. Remember to work smart & safely.

 

[rod]

July 1972, A cousin of mine called and said UPS was hiring. He was a supv. in the Livonia Hub. I got hired FT 2 weeks out of high school. $5.44 an hour. I was making $2.00 more and hour then my father who worked in a plastic factory for 20 yrs. After 36 yrs I am still here. Alittle more then 1 yr to go

Just curious--- why after 36 years do you still have over a year left? Like I've said before-----keep working guys. Us retirees don't need anymore drain on the pension funds

 

[oldupsman]

Sept. 1975. I had graduated from college in June of 74 with a teaching degree. Teachers were a dime a dozen then so I had spent the last year working construction. Better than starving. Anyway I'm sitting at a buddy's picnic table on a warm late Sept. Sat. night drinking beer and shots of Wild Turkey after just having got laid off from my job the day before. I'm 23 and about flat broke with no prospects. Buddy says hey why don't you come work for me for awhile. We're gonna start hiring drivers soon for Christmas. I say you mean that UPS place. He says yeah. It's only until Christmas but at least it's work until the end of the year. He says all you gotta do is drive around and deliver packages. How hard can that be? He had just got promoted to delivery sup. I say yeah, sure, why not? Put me behind the wheel of a package car 3 weeks later, Oct of 75. Retired June of 07. 32 years with 30 years of safe driving all in package car. I still blame the Wild Turkey.

 

[mattwtrs]

Just curious--- why after 36 years do you still have over a year left? Like I've said before-----keep working guys. Us retirees don't need anymore drain on the pension funds

Maybe he was only 17 when he got out of High School.

Maybe he was part time for 5 years.

He might be in management and is waiting to turn 55?

 

[scratch]

Maybe he was only 17 when he got out of High School.

Maybe he was part time for 5 years.

He might be in management and is waiting to turn 55?

Thats pretty much my problem. I was seventeen when I started, and I am fifty now. I can't get health insurance until I hit fifty-five, and thats four years and eight months away.