Post Office Shops
tanmanlovespool Wrote:
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> I much rather prefer to do the A's, B's, D's and
> E's because I can use the same box over and over
> and over as long as I mail it from a different zip
> than my own.
So you mail them back to yourself if you are in a different zip code? I am just starting out with this company and that makes alot of sense, but I wasn't sure of if I was allowed to do that. I keep mailing my mom in SC junk food for when the kids go there on vacation. I would rather not have to buy the box and repack all the time. Do you just pull the postage labels off?
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> I much rather prefer to do the A's, B's, D's and
> E's because I can use the same box over and over
> and over as long as I mail it from a different zip
> than my own.
So you mail them back to yourself if you are in a different zip code? I am just starting out with this company and that makes alot of sense, but I wasn't sure of if I was allowed to do that. I keep mailing my mom in SC junk food for when the kids go there on vacation. I would rather not have to buy the box and repack all the time. Do you just pull the postage labels off?
if I am out of my home area (zone) I mail to myself... A and B (and then use the stuff I am mailing over and over again. I also mailed to another forum member. I was mailing to my son, who moved recently. He begged me to stopped sending him things he could buy on his own (and not have to shlep from Hermosa Beach to Venice). I don't do C scenario shops. Too much of a PITA and too much of an upfront outlay of my hard-earned and SCARCE dollars.
I buy the boxes at one of the discount supermarkets. They come in threes. Keep the receipt and use it for the next three A's or D's. They only allow a certain dollar amount for box receipts so you have to divide it by three and declare that amount for each shop.
Seal the boxes thoroughly by putting clear plastic tape over all of the paper surfaces. When the boxes are delivered to your house peel the labels off immediately. The longer they're on the box, the harder they are to take off.
When the boxes become so worn out that they require the post office to apply their own packing tape, start using them for the B (ReadyPost) shops.
I have boxes that have been used 15-20 times each.
PS: Just make sure your mail carrier leaves the boxes somewhere where they won't get wet before you can pick them up.
Seal the boxes thoroughly by putting clear plastic tape over all of the paper surfaces. When the boxes are delivered to your house peel the labels off immediately. The longer they're on the box, the harder they are to take off.
When the boxes become so worn out that they require the post office to apply their own packing tape, start using them for the B (ReadyPost) shops.
I have boxes that have been used 15-20 times each.
PS: Just make sure your mail carrier leaves the boxes somewhere where they won't get wet before you can pick them up.
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One buzzard to another while circling high overhead (paraphrased), "Patience hell! I want to shop somewhere."
One buzzard to another while circling high overhead (paraphrased), "Patience hell! I want to shop somewhere."
I do the same thing. If I am out of my own zone, I mail the boxes to myself. If I am in my zone, I mail to my father's lady friend. Then when she goes to see him, she brings the boxes back and I have them to use for next time. Like tanmanlovespool said, I cover my address labels in clear tape so when I peel off the post office labels my boxes are clean and in tact. I have been using the same boxes since last October and they are still in great shape. They each contain 2 16oz bags of dry pinto beans.
I only do the C's when they are highly bonused. So far, I have only had to purchase the box for them. I usually have canned goods at home to fill the box.
I only do the C's when they are highly bonused. So far, I have only had to purchase the box for them. I usually have canned goods at home to fill the box.
What a great idea to ship to yourself and reuse the box 
Applied for more than a dozen A scenarios today. Yeah, baby!
I only have about eight boxes that I use for A's and D's so I can only sign up for eight at a time. But I use them on routes that I have already set up for early April and they help to make the trips more economical.
My scheduler told me that they won't be offering any more B's until towards the end of April when they will be rolling them out for about three weeks straight. They also have a limited number of competitor shops like UPS and FedEx that use similar scenarios as the ones for the regular post offices.
My scheduler told me that they won't be offering any more B's until towards the end of April when they will be rolling them out for about three weeks straight. They also have a limited number of competitor shops like UPS and FedEx that use similar scenarios as the ones for the regular post offices.
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One buzzard to another while circling high overhead (paraphrased), "Patience hell! I want to shop somewhere."
One buzzard to another while circling high overhead (paraphrased), "Patience hell! I want to shop somewhere."
How far away is out of your zone? I tried that once, and it was not far enough. Might be a silly question, but I have yet to figure it out. Is there a zone chart somewhere? Might be handy to have.
I have never had a problem. I just pick a post office other than my own and use it to send the package back to me. I essentially use the same address in the FROM and TO fields of the address label for the package or mailer. Then I try to pick three or four locations in the same general area or in a circuitous route or on a route I have already selected for other types of shops.
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One buzzard to another while circling high overhead (paraphrased), "Patience hell! I want to shop somewhere."
One buzzard to another while circling high overhead (paraphrased), "Patience hell! I want to shop somewhere."
I did my first competitor shop today. I took the job because I had something to ship. Otherwise, I wouldn't do it. When I got to the shop, the ground service was $13.20, three day service was $32.00! There was no way I was going to pay $32.00 upfront. So, I paid for the ground service and immediately called the MSC and told the guy what had happened. I told him I did not have the cash to pay that much money. He said I would have been reimbursed. The new guidelines say that they have been experiencing high competitor rates and that they would reimburse up to $50. However, if your report isn't accepted, you're out the money and I wasn't about to be out $32. Anyway, he asked me if I had been offered the ground option because it was the cheapest and I said yes. He said just put everything in the report and I should be fine. So, we'll see.
What is now driving me crazy is the report. Most of the report questions do not apply to the experience I had today. It is also obvious that they are just using the report for the client. You usually don't have that kind of experience with the competition.
What is now driving me crazy is the report. Most of the report questions do not apply to the experience I had today. It is also obvious that they are just using the report for the client. You usually don't have that kind of experience with the competition.
avitoots I am doing a bunch of other shops for this particular MSC. It's an entirely different project, which involves filling out a form that seems straight forward at first but turns out to be fairly to extremely convoluted, depending on my actual experience(s). Initially, I obsessed over the form, went absolutely nuts. Finally, based on another shopper's suggestion/advise. I simply filled out the form as best I could and then put what actually happened in a comments/narrative section at the end of the report. I am not sure if these are the same editors as you will encounter with your competitor shop, but I am just throwing it out there. I think the person(s) who develop their reports has/have serious issues but this batch of editors has been extremely helpful and pleasant.
jersey -- That's what I did. I just find it amusing/annoying that there are all of these questions that obviously apply only to the post office.
in my case, there are all these questions that don't apply to ANYTHING! I just finished three of these reports and am ready to pull my hair out.
My point exactly. The store I was in was extremely small. How do you browse mailing supplies when you walk in with a prepared package and not get busted?
same happens at the other place. many of these ______ are in rural areas. They are extremely small. In one,if there are more than two other customers, I have to fight for oxygen.
back to the forms. on this project, they ask for feedback on the form. I started giving it to them and then realized, I am not geting paid enough. so now, I just use the space to clarify....I say, my first answer blah blah blah was rejected by the system. In order to be able to submit the form, I changed my answer to blah blah blah to make the system happy. The real answer is the one I gave originally.
the editor told me not to worry...just put in the info and he would make it work. so....I do just that.
back to the forms. on this project, they ask for feedback on the form. I started giving it to them and then realized, I am not geting paid enough. so now, I just use the space to clarify....I say, my first answer blah blah blah was rejected by the system. In order to be able to submit the form, I changed my answer to blah blah blah to make the system happy. The real answer is the one I gave originally.
the editor told me not to worry...just put in the info and he would make it work. so....I do just that.
Well, I submitted the report. We'll see what happens. If they reject it, I'll be very annoyed because I would have gone to the post office and it would have been cheaper to send the package that way.
g'luck avitoots. let us know what happens.
Thank you for sharing re: the "competitor" shops. It's always a comfort to know that I'm not the only one who is not comfortable with them. I've done three and with each one I left not sure what I had done, ground?, 1 day?, two days? insured? I found these competitors to be the strong silent types.....Lordy, I thought I was reliving that awful nightmare where I'm bare and every one else is fully clothed!
Shop accepted but I lost a point for entering the weight of the box incorrectly (entered it the way it said on the form which, of course, was the P.O. scale, not their competitors). This is sweet because I had sold a book and now I'm going to get paid not only by the buyer but by the MSC for shipping the book plus make the little bit of a fee. Sold another book but won't ship until I get back to Florida so I'll try to pick up another one of these when I get down there. I'll only do these if I actually have something I need to ship.
avitoots...great. wouldn't worry a nano-second about losing a point, especially not with the NAKED company. A few months ago, the edi ots were taking points off and warning me to watch my syntax. since I have taught editing and writing (and have been an editor) I was concerned and double checked my grammar before submitting reports...got the same comment again and again, so finally I asked them to show me the errors in syntax. They never could, of course! Because errors syntax in did exist not.
and what a great idea...selling stuff and using shops to pay for the shipping!
best you are!
and what a great idea...selling stuff and using shops to pay for the shipping!
best you are!
jersey -- Not worried about the grade. I mainly mentioned it because, as I said before, the form is very apparently written for client shops, not competitor shops so it's a little amusing that I got marked off for following their form that probably needs to be re-worked for the competitor shops.
As far as editors go, some are excellent and some seem to be in over their heads. I think that's true across the industry.
As far as editors go, some are excellent and some seem to be in over their heads. I think that's true across the industry.
Could somebody please tell me what the B scenario is ?
I have to ship documents but have to get them there fast.
will that fit into a B
and how bad is the survey?
I have to ship documents but have to get them there fast.
will that fit into a B
and how bad is the survey?
The surveys are the same regardless of the scenario. Just different answers to certain questions. A Scenario B shop is a ReadyPost shop. You take a box that weighs at least 20 ounces and use of the several larger-sized ReadyPost mailers available inside the post office to mail the package. You will need to address the mailer with from and to addresses, insert your package and seal it. I like B's because you can take a box in poor condition and mail it inside the ReadyPost mailer. You must check to see if the clerk charges you for the mailer. The mailers will cost between $1.99 and $2.59 and you will be reimbursed for it as long as it is one of the ones listed in the documentation.
If you don't have a box, simply take several magazines or bundles of newspapers and insert them into the mailer. You just have to make sure that the mailer with contents weighs at least 18-20 oz. Anything less and you won't get paid. Most post offices have a small weight scale in the lobby that you can use to weigh your mailer before sealing it.
If you don't have a box, simply take several magazines or bundles of newspapers and insert them into the mailer. You just have to make sure that the mailer with contents weighs at least 18-20 oz. Anything less and you won't get paid. Most post offices have a small weight scale in the lobby that you can use to weigh your mailer before sealing it.
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One buzzard to another while circling high overhead (paraphrased), "Patience hell! I want to shop somewhere."
One buzzard to another while circling high overhead (paraphrased), "Patience hell! I want to shop somewhere."
Most of my Postals have been 9/10, but there is reveiwer that insist I use cash to pay. If I'm doing a Postal route, I don't have that much cash. Especially with a C shop(DIM).
Thanks Tanman,
If I needed it to go overnite can that be done on Scenario B or are the instructions to send 3 day ground or something like that??
If I needed it to go overnite can that be done on Scenario B or are the instructions to send 3 day ground or something like that??
Shoppingalong
I sent you a PM. Forgot about this question YOU MUST SEND PRIORITY 2- 3 days. Where are you mailng from? It might get there in 1 or 2 days (I have had packages I have mailed to myself get to me the next day) but there is no guarantee. Sorry I didn't address this in my PM. Jersey
shoppinalong Wrote:
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> Thanks Tanman,
>
> If I needed it to go overnite can that be done on
> Scenario B or are the instructions to send 3 day
> ground or something like that??
I sent you a PM. Forgot about this question YOU MUST SEND PRIORITY 2- 3 days. Where are you mailng from? It might get there in 1 or 2 days (I have had packages I have mailed to myself get to me the next day) but there is no guarantee. Sorry I didn't address this in my PM. Jersey
shoppinalong Wrote:
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> Thanks Tanman,
>
> If I needed it to go overnite can that be done on
> Scenario B or are the instructions to send 3 day
> ground or something like that??
I agree completely. The dim weight shops are horrible. I had one employee trying to convince me for 5 minutes to put it in a smaller box. I told him that I had bread loafs and some cans in it so i needed the huge box.
I have been reading these posts, but have not done one. My guess would be that it for Bare. While it sounds alot like Intellishop because of the ratinf structure. Hmmmmmm....If it's Bare, I would write the person in charge. If if is Intellishop, I would write the person in charge. LOL! Whatelse can you really do? If it's your shopping grade that you are worried about, WOULD you want more shops?
I have not found inexpensive boxes or mailing envelopes which cuts into my reimbursement allowance. When I review my paycheck I find that I loose money. Hence my preference for B scenario shipments, mailed back to me, just over 18 ounces and in ready post packaging with an on site purchase, per the guidelines. End of problem.
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