by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Christmas is still 19 days away but the deadline for shipping packages to family and friends is much sooner. Depending on where you want that new sweater for Grandma or that book for your brother to end up, by the middle of next week you’d be wise to have it at least boxed up and addressed.
“The 20th is the last possible day for ground delivery and the 21st is the last day for air,” said Vikki Wilkins, who owns the UPS Store on Hogan Street along with her husband Terry.
Business is pretty steady this week at the store which offers much more than just shipping. However, Terry says starting Monday things will get busier every day for about 10 days.
“This weekend is the busiest shopping weekend,” he said, adding many of those out-of-town packages will have to be mailed by Wednesday in order to assure they reach their destination by Christmas day. “I feel sorry for those who come in here after the 19th. They will have to send things second-day air and that’s more expensive. We urge people to come in early and ship by ground to save money. Some people spend more on shipping than the gift cost.”
The store will ship most anything you bring in. However, the sign that says they will ship anything shouldn’t be taken literally. Vikki said they won’t ship a car for you, but they do have vendors that can handle automobiles.
“We have a vendor that ships pianos,” she said. “We have somebody that can do everything.”
There are some items UPS will not ship, regardless of what it may cost and the time of year. Tobacco products, explosive materials, firearms and alcohol are prohibited. Still, some things like home-made wine likely get through. Terry said he will not ask someone to open a sealed package ready for shipping, but if they suspect it’s a liquid they are obligated to ask.
“They can lie and they don’t have to open it,” he said. “If we ask what’s in the package, then we have covered ourselves.”
Before opening the store three years ago, Terry drove a UPS truck for 14 years. He said packing boxes properly isn’t about making sure the driver handles that new vase for your mom carefully.
“The drivers are really careful, but the loaders are not,” he said, demonstrating how the loaders pick up boxes and literally toss them into the UPS trucks and vans. “The test is if you can hold it out, drop it and not have it break.”
What if you wait until Dec. 22 to ship a package to Seattle?
“It’s not going to happen,” said Terry, adding there’s a slim chance, but shipping is likely to be double the normal cost.
International packages still have time to make it right now. However, shipping something to China, for example, is costly. A 10-pound, 14-by-14-by-14 inches will cost $214.47 and getting it to China on time isn’t the issue.
“Everything has to pass through customs,” said Terry. “A package may sit in the customs office for three or four days.”
The following are the deadlines for domestic ground shipping via UPS and the geographic areas of the country affected by those deadlines.
• Wednesday: California (southeast pocket), Idaho (northwest), Montana, Oregon, Washington and Nevada (northern pocket).
• Dec. 14: California and Colorado (western halves), Idaho (southeast corner), Minnesota (northwest), Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.
• Dec. 15: Arizona, Colorado (eastern half), Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Michigan (upper peninsula), Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York (upper), Rhode Island, Texas (western corner), Vermont and Wisconsin (upper).
• Dec. 18: Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York (lower), Pennsylvania, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, West Virginia (northern parts) and Wisconsin (southern half).
• Dec. 19: Alabama, Florida (panhandle), Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia (southern half).
• Dec. 20: Florida (except panhandle) and Georgia (southern half).
The following are tips for packing and shipping gifts during the holidays.
• The largest item will determine the size of the box. Lightweight items that are large may have to be shipped at 30, 70 or 150 pounds regardless of the actual weight due to the size of the box needed.
• Breakable items need sufficient cushioning materials such as bubble wrap and packing peanuts and make sure the breakable items are in the center of the box. Unacceptable cushioning materials include crunched up newspaper, tissue paper and clothing.
• Valuable, breakable items should be double-boxed.
• Boxes should be able to withstand the shock, vibration and compression that will occur during handling and transit.
• Use shipping boxes, not storage or moving boxes or boxes from department stores.
• The box should have holes or collapsed areas.
• Make sure the box is large enough for a shipping label.
• Do not use boxes that originally held alcoholic beverages or tobacco products.
• Remove all previous address labels.
• You should not hear any rattling once the box is closed.
• Do not use brown kraft paper or string — they get caught in automated equipment.
• Use only shipping tape — not masking, duct or wrapping paper tape.