How the USPS is “Knitting the Nation Together”
“We knit the nation together.”
If you’re a small business owner in Rhode Island you’re going to want to read this one! On Business Over Breakfast, we were joined by Kim DiGiulio, a sales representative at the United States Postal Service!
Kim is knowledgeable about everything to do with mail and shipping. USPS is known for two different things, EEDM Mailing (every door direct mail), designed for people to do themselves, and shipping. Last holiday season the postal service delivered 14.3 billion packages and they are expecting to deliver even more this holiday season! They have designed a network to ingest and deliver 41 million packages every single day between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Because of this, USPS is hiring 40,000 temporary workers - so if you or anyone you know is looking for work this holiday season you’re in luck! USPS is able to do this through a tenure plan - they are leasing 115 new annexes this year for places to unload, process, and stage packages which was an issue last holiday season.
When it comes to shipping, USPS has two basic rate structures that are very simple and much less complicated pricing wise compared to other carriers - there are no discounts and everything is pretty straight forward. The best part is that there is no contract! You can start and stop for free whenever you want.
One option for businesses is Click and Ship. All you have to do is go online, print a label, and put it on the package and it can either be picked up or dropped off at USPS. If you are shipping multiple packages every day you can speak to a sales representative and/or Kim to arrange a more specialized service!
The other option for businesses is flat rate packaging which USPS has been very successful with. “If it fits it ships” offers boxes small, medium, and large with a flat rate price! For the sizing and pricing visit the USPS website.
The post office has a ton of resources available for small businesses. Visit their website and check out what they have available for beginning shippers as well as access to the inside sales group. There is a ton of software out there to print labels and a lot of them are free! Shipping can be daunting but “you have to start to get started” Kim shares.
Even though you can use any carrier “because we’re all better in weight breaks and in different zones”, USPS is great for small packages. A new program is currently in beta testing called UBS connect. “If you’re willing to do some workshare with the postal service, you’re going to be able to access lower rates than those that are available right now just because it's local delivery”.
USPS never turns down a package whereas other carriers have that option. In this digital world, it’s nice to see the carriers out every day in person. “I love USPS. They have so much respect for the individual and for the person” says Kim.
To learn more about Kim DiGiulio and how she can help you visit her LinkedIn page here.
Each week on Business Over Breakfast, marketing experts Lori and Ben are joined by Rhode Island entrepreneurs who are living their dream of owning and running a business. If you’re a Rhode Island business owner and want to share your story please contact danielle@visualthrive.com and visit ShopLocalRhodeIsland to learn about other small businesses.
