Packing ‘Em In
Oliver Noss arrived at the Federal Express outlet Wednesday morning with eight boxes of smoke alarm testers to be rushed to customers in Dallas and New York.
Unknown to him, however, the sign at the front of the extra-long line warned of a five-package limit.
“We’re a big company,” Noss said of his firm, New Horizons. “They said we can send 10 packages.”
About 40 minutes later, though, only two boxes had been shipped and six others--which had to be sent together or not at all--he put back in his car, with plans to try again today.
“I double-checked this morning,” he said. “What a mess.”
To an opportunistic eye, the United Parcel Service strike, now in its 11th day, may seem a boon to rival FedEx. But it has also become a huge pain, resulting in longer lines, limits on shipments and modified operations at the dozen or so FedEx outlets in the San Fernando Valley, as it has around the country, said Jess Bunn, a FedEx spokesman.
“We’re hearing about a lot of good, pleased customers,” he said. “But obviously there are going to be frustrated people because we can’t handle all their packages.”
Since the strike began, UPS customers have rushed to other shipping companies including FedEx--where package volumes have skyrocketed, Bunn said. The company usually handles about 2.8 million packages a day nationwide during the summer, he said. During the strike, the company has processed between 3.5 million and 4 million a day--a volume more typical of the Christmas season.
“In general we’re making deliveries on time, but there’s a chance some of the packages will be late simply because of the number of packages that we’re not used to carrying,” he said.
New rules at the Van Nuys FedEx post on Woodley Avenue also include a limit of one trip per day. Customers mailing packages also risk being turned away whenever the facility reaches 110% capacity, Bunn said. At the Woodley Avenue outlet, for example, normal operating hours are from 8:30 a.m. until 7 p.m., but the facility was forced to close at noon Wednesday and is expected to close early again today because of the increased volume.
Wednesday morning, a line of about 50 customers--most of them there to ship their companies’ products--spilled onto the sidewalk. FedEx employees occasionally ventured outside with coffee for them.
“The only way we make money is by getting the parts out,” said Eric Mott, 38, who works for Aleph International Corp., which sells parts for fax and copy machines to customers all over the country.
Ordinarily, Mott said, UPS drivers pick up about 100 packages daily at the San Fernando-based company. Now, most of the boxes remain in a warehouse while he hauls a few every day to various delivery services.
“I have to be here by 11:30 [a.m.], and I’ve been having to take shipments to LAX in the evening,” he said.
Clearly, the inconvenience has been especially aggravating to those whose livelihoods depend on prompt deliveries.
“It affects us a lot because we’re always on tight deadlines anyway,” said Mark Prudeaux, 37, a Van Nuys artist who works for Marvel Comics. Wednesday, he needed to send drawings to X-Force magazine.
“I don’t know if packages are going to make it on time,” he said.
One reason FedEx cannot handle more packages is that the company is mostly an overnight delivery business, Bunn said. UPS, the larger of the two, is equipped to handle greater quantities of packages to be delivered over several days.
And although the company is trying to accommodate UPS customers, FedEx is giving priority to its own clientele, Bunn said.
To save themselves frustrations, customers should arrive early at FedEx facilities, Bunn said. Perishables should be designated for overnight delivery, since they otherwise could take up to three days to arrive at their destination.
By noon Wednesday the line had begun to shrink. Some still waiting, including James Greenwood, 48, of Sherman Oaks-based Rapid Display, said they did not mind the delays too much.
Greenwood said that since the strike began, he has stood in line six times waiting to send off his employer’s large cardboard images.
“It’s a nuisance,” he said, “but it’s not the end of the world.”
