This Month
Time in Transit Setup..............................2
The #1 In-Store Retailing Network of Small Package Shippers
in the US – Serving Independent Retailers Since 1984
Volume 21 • Issue 6
2nd Quarter • June, 2016
Windows 10 Free Upgrade......................3
PEC’s Titans of Tech...............................3
UPS Additional Handling Fee.................3
June Specials...........................................4
From the Desk of the President..
Three Different Types of PEC Centers...
Which Are You?
Stephanie Hopson
President, CEO
There are many reasons why stores add a PEC “Shipping and Processing Center”, but in the
end most stores can be put into 3 main categories.
Service For the Community:
Many stores over the years have added this service to
their store because there is not a UPS presence in their
community and the store owners have wanted to offer this
service for the benefit of their community. These stores
are more worried about their customer’s packages and
their customer’s attitude toward the service than looking
at this service as one that has to make a certain amount
of money or they are going to get rid of it.
Traffic building Services:
Some stores add services, new product lines not found at
other places, repairs, expert advice, advertise with store
specials/bounce backs, loyalty clubs and are always
adding and trying new things.
These are the stores that believe if I can get a customer
to come into my store 10 times a year instead of 3 times
a year, it is a great thing. These are also the stores that
believe the more “reasons” a customer has to come
into their store, the more likely they will come back to
purchase something if they do not purchase something
from each trip into their store.
More, More, More:
Some stores have added PEC to make as much profit
as possible. They rarely see the value of the customer
traffic it adds. These stores are very worried about the
bottom line and how to increase it. These are also the
stores that are more likely to offer packing services as
this can be a profit center in itself.
Can you identify which characteristic traits line up with
the expectations you have toward your PEC Shipping
Service in your store? Did you start shipping with beliefs
that have changed or evolved over time? Do you see
your PEC Shipping Service as a nice blend of all three?
That would be the ideal scenario.
USPS Stamp Prices Reduced
Effective April 10, 2016 the U.S. Postal Service reduced
postage rates for Mailing Services products, including
First-Class® Mail, Standard Mail®, and Periodicals.
When economic activity dropped off during the Great
Recession, so did mailing – which, in turn, caused Postal
Service revenues to drop off as well.
The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) granted the
Postal Service a 4.3 percent temporary, emergency price
increase, also known as an exigent surcharge which went
into effect in January 2014. This surcharge was required
to be eliminated once the USPS recouped the estimated
revenue loss from the Great Recession.
The postal service estimates it will have recouped the
losses and reduced prices on April 10, 2016.
The Tech Corner
by Daniel Wilhoit
Time in Transit Setup
Time in Transit is a brand new feature that many are missing out on. This new
feature will greatly increase the accuracy of your estimated delivery dates, because
it offers guaranteed delivery dates. Instead of estimating the amount of time it will
take for your package to be delivered based on the shipping method you choose
and the zone it is going to, Time in Transit connects directly with UPS servers to provide you with the most accurate
information possible. Time in Transit takes weekends, holidays, and pickup times into account. The best part about it
is, after it is initially setup, it requires no additional steps when processing a package. Time in Transit will completely
take place of the Estimated Delivery Date section of your Total System Shipping Software. Setting this up can be
very easy.
If you are an existing Smart Pickup pickup account:
1. At the top-left of the Total System Software, click Settings and then System Setup.
2. Click on the Advanced Shipping Options tab and then Configure UPS Smart Pickup. Make a note of the
UserID, Password, and Access License Number and then click Cancel.
3. Click Configure UPS Time in Transit. Fill in the requested information you made a note of in the Smart Pickup
section. If you would like to add additional accuracy to Time In Transit, you can fill in your normal Pickup Time.
Make sure you provide the time in military format.
4. Click OK in the following prompts until Total System closes.
For daily pickup accounts:
1. Login to (or create) a UPS.com account. If you already know your ups.com login credentials or are creating an
account, skip to step 4.
2. At the top-left of the Total System Software, click Settings and then System Setup.
3. Click on the Advanced Shipping Options tab and then Configure RPDO. Make a note of the UserID and
Password and then click Cancel.
4. Open your preferred web browser and navigate to www.ups.com.
5. Click the Log-in link at the top of the page and enter the UserID and Password that you noted from your RPDO
settings and click Log In >>.
6. Under the Support tab, click Technology Support.
7. On the far-left side of the page click UPS Developer Kit.
8. In the middle of the page, select Request an access key (Step 5).
9. At the bottom-right of the page, select Request Access Key. Make a note of the key provided.
10.At the top-left of the Total System Software, click Settings and then System Setup.
11.Click on the Advanced Shipping Options tab and then Configure UPS Time in Transit.
12.Enter the UserID, Password, and Access License Number that you have noted from the steps above.
13.Click OK in the following prompts until Total System closes.
*It is important that you DO NOT change the password to this account, because your RPDO manifest and/or Smart
Pickup scheduling will stop working correctly. If you’re having trouble with any of these steps just give us a call.
Windows 10 Free Upgrade
The deadline is near! Windows 10 released last year on
July 29th with the tagline that it would be a 100% free
upgrade as long as the
upgrade was done within
1 year of it’s release.
A free update was
completely unheard of
from Microsoft, especially
after stating that Windows
10 “is the last version of
Windows”.
Microsoft’s
goal is to have all users running one version of their
software which can make things easier on all parties
involved. The deadline is July 29, 2016 and is completely
optional. It’s not a bad idea to take advantage of the free
update, but I highly recommend that you consider all of
the possible side effects that can come with upgrading
an operating system. We have made many changes
and upgrades to the Total System Software, but we
cannot guarantee the same has been done to any other
programs that you use in your store. Windows 10 is
still a fairly new operating system and some software
vendors simply don’t have all of the problems ironed
out or may not have a Windows 10 version, at all. Many
popular printers need to be completely reinstalled after
upgrading due to insufficient drivers. This is why it’s
great to remember that the update is optional. Microsoft
has conveniently added a “rollback” feature in Windows
10, so you can safely go back to Windows 7 or 8 if you
don’t like it or are having trouble.
Windows 7 is still scheduled for extended support until
January 14, 2020. If Windows 7 is something you are
comfortable with and don’t want to take the time to learn a
new operating system then you may be better off sticking
with 7 and worry about upgrading in 2020. Windows 8
and 8.1, while much less popular, will be supported until
January 10, 2023. Microsoft hasn’t released a projected
price to upgrade after the deadline.
If you do want to make the upgrade to 10, it’s not a
hard process. It’s hard to miss Microsoft’s constant
reminders to update. You should be able to navigate
to your Windows Updates, via the Control Panel, or
simply double click the white windows logo sitting in
your System Tray (located at the bottom-right of the
screen with the date and time). Windows 10 is set to be
supported until October 14, 2025, but many expect this
date to be extended due to Microsoft stating that this will
be the last operating system that they will be releasing.
Package Express Center’s
Titans of Tech
Meet the face on the other end of the phone. This is the
Package Express Center’s Tech Team. Every time you
call in with issues we are here to help. No voice mail,
no busy signal or no choosing one for this department
and two for that division, a real live voice answering our
phone. We always have answered all our calls live for
the past 32 years and we always will!
Pictured left to right:
Front row - Sarah Bradley, Matt Meade
Back row - Tyler Hutchinson, Brian Bradley, Daniel Wilhoit
Did you know...
PEC made or answered over 10,000 calls last
year or about 400 a day and we averaged 19
actual hours of phone time a day!
Calling in and knowing you are going to get good
customer service is something we strive for. Package
Express Centers prides itself on it's U.S based corporate
location with U.S based customer service. Don’t forget, if
you have any issues with your shipping software we will
be there to help. Many stores do not know this but we
also have 24 hours a day – 7 days a week emergency
technical support.
UPS Additional Handling Fee
One of the Additional Charges that UPS assesses is the
Additional Handling Fee. In the past, if the longest side
of a package was more than 60 inches it was assessed
the fee. Effective June 6, 2016 that size changes to 48
inches. Any package that exceeds the 48 inches on the
longest side will be charged an additional fee.
Of course PEC is working on an update to the Total
Shipping software for this change and will release it as
soon as possible. Please make sure that we have an
active e-mail address for you, so that we can let you
know when this or any other changes will affect your
shipping service.
June Specials
Offers cannot be combined and are available while supplies last or until 6/30/16.
Check out our all new
personalized sign.
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5O0FF
45 95
Item
Number
Item
Description
TONR1100 Fits HP 1100
Size:
24" x 32"
Store name will
be added just
as it appears in
this example.
No logos or
special colors
please.
FOB Greeneville, TN
f Your
f
O
p
o
r Dr
!
Ship o kages Here
ac
UPS P
This sleek sign, personalized with your store
name, will get your customer's attention
and let them know that you are their local
Authorized UPS Shipping Provider.
Wholesale
Price
$47.99 ea.
TONR1012 Fits HP 1012 & 1020 $59.99 ea.
TONR5L6L Fits HP 5L & 6L
$41.99 ea.
TONR1000 Fits HP 1000 & 1200 $55.99 ea.
Get yours at this price NOW to avoid the
price increase effective July 1, 2016.
27900
$
Item
Number
Item
Description
Wholesale
Price
3 Or
More
TONR1505 Fits HP 1505 $69.99 ea. $66.99 ea.
TONR1006 Fits HP 1006 $64.99 ea. $61.99 ea.
TONR1102 Fits HP 1102 $64.99 ea. $61.99 ea.
With Package Express Center's Data Safe
Storage, your data gets backed up each month.
If you ever have a problem that causes you to
lose your data all you have to do is contact us
and we will send you a CD or e-mail your data
to you. It's that simple!
29 95
$
Data Safe
Storage
plus
1 FREE
8GB Flash Drive
FOB Greeneville, TN
P.O. Box 1178
Phone: (800) 274-4732
Greeneville, TN 37744
Fax: (800) 570-0683
www.packageexpresscenters.com
3 Or
More
$43.99 ea.
$56.99 ea.
$36.99 ea.
$49.99 ea.
Get 1 full year of
Windows 10
These models do not include an internal modem for
dial-up. You will need to specify that one is needed,
at an additional cost.
Shipped computer may not be exact model shown.
Must purchase more
than one to receive
special price
Never Lose Your
Shipping Data Again!
Dell Desktop
with Keyboard & Mouse
FOB Greeneville, TN
%
$
1 sided vinyl
on coroplast
Refurbished
HP TONER CARTRIDGES
FOB Greeneville, TN
SHIPPING & HANDLING POLICY:
FREE SHIPPING on retail product orders of $75 or more (does not include
equipment or signs). HANDLING FEE: Orders less than $75 are subject to
a $7.95 flat handling fee. SHIPPING ON ALL EQUIPMENT & SIGNS: All
equipment, including computers, monitors, printers & scales, and all signs
are shipped F.O.B. Greeneville, TN and billed to your UPS Account.