sandyf Wrote:
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> I am still not clear though...if the clerk mis
> measures your 14x14x14 box as 15x15x15 and because
> of this you end up paying over the reimbursement
> limit will they pay you the difference since it
> was the clerk's error?

Ya, that I don't know.
For me, if I go over the reimbursement it just eats into the shop fee and since I was likely mailing it anyway, why not get them to cover all or part of the cost.

This happened to me once, and I decided not to point out the error to avoid calling attention to myself. I told my scheduler about the overcharge and I was fully reimbursed. YMMV


sandyf Wrote:
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> Thanks for all your advice...i am sure my daughter
> is far enough, she may be too far though so that
> is what I need to ask, also if it is permissable
> to ship to her instead of the food bank. I can
> only use a 15x12x10 or 14x14x10 in order for the
> shop to make sense as if I ship her under 3# (so
> between the min of 2.5 and 3 it comes in under the
> reimbursement. Also the other two sizes of boxes
> for the C shop go way over the reimbursement amt
> for the same weight box. Priority mail is so much
> more expensive that every additional pound lifts
> the price by quite a bit so if I went over by even
> a pound or two I am better off just shipping her a
> box by regular mail and not doing a shop.
> I am still not clear though...if the clerk mis
> measures your 14x14x14 box as 15x15x15 and because
> of this you end up paying over the reimbursement
> limit will they pay you the difference since it
> was the clerk's error?

My understanding is this:
1) You may ship to a different address than the food bank *if* you get your scheduler's permission first and you make sure it is a Zone 5 or further.

2) When you purchase your boxes make sure it has the box size listed.

3) If the clerk does not measure, the receipt is your proof that you did have the right size box.

4) If the clerk measures incorrectly, your receipt shows the correct size and you make sure to inform your scheduler and they will reimburse the full amount *if* it is the clerk's error.

5) You will always have a larger box with almost nothing in it. You also don't need to "fill" it if you don't want to. Just tape it correctly.

Hope that helps. I learned most of it the hard way!

Thanks, and I just wanted to let people know in case they are not aware, I researched the differing prices for the same weight box being shipped with 2.9 pounds in it to the same location beyond zone 4.
The box you choose makes a big difference.

With 14/14/14 the cost was $42.60, 12/12/18 the cost was $41.70, 14x14x10 the cost was $35.10 and 15/12/10 the cost was $31.80. A difference of $11 in this scenario. So don't just run out and buy the 14/14/14. These prices are for Los Angeles to New Orleans. So I can be totally reimbursed using the hardest to find box!!!

This must be why some people are cutting down the 14/14/14 box.
We need to all go in search for the 15/12/10 boxes so we can ship more for less if this matters to you.
I found them in 30 packs! Hopefully I can find them somewhere sold in smaller amts.

I just want to say thanks to everyone because I have been wondering what these shops were all about. I have applied for "c" a couple of times and they just disappeared no yes, no or maybe back to me. Seems to happen every time I apply for one!! Now I'm extremely glad that happened. I was scared off by the $40 reimbursement, however, I realize now that I didn't quite understand the requirements. I always thought you were supposed to buy the box at the shipping point, fill it and mail it right there. Duh me! Thanks again, think I will steer clear of these.

Tawanna, I just did my first one today. It was a B. All my posts to this point were in trying to understand them. After you finally get accepted you get a 7 page communication explaining all of it. And you can look at the specs for all the different shops too in addition to the one you got. I got a B. I would encourange you to contact the scheduler for your state if you never get accepted. It is unclear to me whether you have done the other scenarios and if it is just the C ones you have not, but from my limited exposure yes, you need to purchase your own box and yes the money layout is higher but because the reimbursement limit is higher that means you can send someone a heavier and further away package within the reimbursement limits. So if you have a friend or family or whatever that lives beyond zone 4 you have that ability to do one of those shops and have it all reimbursed.

Sandy, Hi, Thanks for the reply, I should have mentioned I have not done any of the shops. It was too confusing to me about the box dims and shipping etc. so I haven't done any, (even though I did bite the bullet and apply for two as I mentioned earlier). I was a little glad I hadn't been accepted because I was so confused!
Thanks for telling me about the communication. I have family as far away as Alaska lol so I could probably find someone to ship too. Still think I will hold off on C though. Might try for an A or B to get started.
Thanks again.

Given the investment to ship a C, I would definitely do an A or B first Just to familiarize yourself with all you need to do. I have done a number of A and B shops and find them fairly simple at this time, but there are a number of specific things you need to look for on the shop.

You need to check the website (USPS) to see what the cost will be to your targeted address because it will not necessarily reimburse the whole thing. The box size will make a difference -- choose the smallest of the boxes and see what the cost will be to sent it where you want. Then compare it to the max reimbursement. It may not all be reimbursed if you're going farther than zone 5. I got burned by $4.75 because I shipped the largest of the four boxes into zone 6.

I do have a question about this, though. If you are purchasing food for a certain weight - aren't you really losing out on the typical $10-$15 fee for the actual shop itself (minus reimbursement and travel)?

Chix Wrote:
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> I do have a question about this, though. If you
> are purchasing food for a certain weight - aren't
> you really losing out on the typical $10-$15 fee
> for the actual shop itself (minus reimbursement
> and travel)?

There are weight restrictions of maybe 2.5 pounds up to 5 lbs so you can't send too much. The box itself has significant weight. I have found with a 14x14x14 inch box I can put in 2 regular sized cans of vegetables and one small can of tomato sauce and hit the three plus pound weight. I buy the food at Aldi for just over a buck and figure the food pantry can really use the few cans. I would feel crummy sending them a box of old newspapers.

I just got assigned my very first Scenario C shop. No where can I find the food bank address in the guidelines or comments. It is probably hidden in plain sight.

Any clues appreciated.

Your scheduler will email it to you, and since it's the weekend, you probably won't get it until Monday morning.

Mine was listed in the confirmation/assigned email.

walesmaven,

It been a number of weeks since my last "C" shop, but I used to find the address in the shop description/comments that were visible when I looked at the print version of the shop.

I just looked at my old stuff and it was also way down at the bottom of my confirmation e-mail.
The address for me in in Kansas.
Your scheduler may do it differently.
I hope that helps!

This is an update on a comment I made on a different post office thread.
I sent a holiday package on a C shop to my daughter. She never found it even though the post office tracking says they delivered it (on a sunday and a day earlier than they said it would be delivered without telling me that was a possibility during the holidays). It was delivered, or so they said, near the mailbox in her building which has a locked entry door with the mailboxes inside. I am still not sure whether it actually got delivered or was stolen but it was a test to see if the Insurance works. Since it was supposed to be delivered on monday my daughter did not look for it until monday. The msc said it was okay to apply for insurance...The Post Office denied the claim. After countless telephone calls and forms filled out I am now at the stage on contacting the main post office in Washington DC as this is what the customer service people suggested.
Bottom line, if you are sending something worth some $$, do not rely on the insurance alone. Evidently that covers breakage or a package the post office admits to losing. From now on I will purchase the extra service and have my package signed for but that will only be after I confirm they will only accept a signature from the recipient and not from any someone walking around near her front door!

I haven't done any C's recently (for budget reasons), but I used to do them now and then. I don't remember having any trouble locating boxes at either Home Depot or Walmart. The client doesn't want any markings on the package except for the labels, so I would have to do "surgery" on the Home Depot ones - take them apart, turn them inside out, and tape them back together. The ones from Walmart were plain. I used the addresses I was given for food banks, but they weren't far away - usually Nevada. The last one I did, though, came back, "Moved, left no forwarding address." I've never had any problem with any shops and was always paid as usual by the MSC. Once I get ahead a little more, I would do them again.

Sandy,

Not defending the PO, but there insurance is only set to cover what they have control over. My son was in the military for four years and conventional wisdom with my military mom friends was that it was worthless to get insurance caused all the had to do was claim it was delivered to the APO/FPO address and they did not have to pay anything. The issue is any time it is being delivered to a complex, mail room, etc., the PO can't really be responsible for what happens after that point. I would assume someone in the building walked off with it. The more people that have access to the package once it arrives, the greater the need for the extra services.

The food bank I ship to is in Florida. For a short period of time (in November, I think), the name of the food bank but not the address changed, and then it changed back. I thought that was odd.