‘Tis the season.
It may not quite be Thanksgiving yet, but the season of discount shipping rates and online deals has started.
What purchases have you already made? Or are you waiting for the Black Friday deals, in hopes that the discount shipping rates might be even better, or eliminated all together.
The shipping industry is busier the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas than almost any other times. Secure delivery service drivers work longer shifts, often driving on weekends. Online companies offer discount shipping rates, as well as package insurance, in an effort to get their customers to shop not only early, but often as well.
And while much of the shipping that goes on during the holidays is from a company to a customer, a large number of packages are shipped from one individual to another individual. In an effort to get packages to loved ones before the holidays, shipping customers consider whether or not large or small package insurance is necessary, or whether they can use the more affordable box shipping rates.
Chances are that no matter how old you are you have a memory of at least one special package that arrived at your house with your name on the label. Although you may not have taken the time to notice whether that gift was sent priority delivery or using one of the available discount shipping rates, the sender likely had to make several decisions.
What Kinds of Presents Do You Ship During the Holidays?
In the frenzy to get everything ready for the holidays, many families order gifts and ship presents to family and friends around the country. Often the type of package determines what kind of shipping decisions are made.
Homemade gifts that may have taken hours to make. Putting a monetary value on these kinds of gifts is nearly impossible. The idea of shipping with insurance, however, can still be comforting. In the event that one of these items would be lost or damaged, the insurance could serve as a way to at least repay yourself for some of the materials that may have been included in the package.
Fragile gifts and other items. If you are shipping items that are especially fragile, the best advice is to go into a shipping service provider and have those employees advise you. With bubble wrap, padded boxes, packing peanuts, and other available materials, the shipping center employees will likely have the best advice. For while we may only ship one or two fragile items ourselves a year, these employees have daily, and sometimes hourly, experience.
Foods and other perishable items. Whether you are sending the a box of homemade cookies to your college student across the country or sending jars of homemade jellies and jams to your favorite aunt, shipping perishable items often requires special attention. Receiving a box of crumbled cookies is not quite as fun as being able to eat a couple of your mom’s special chocolate chip cookies every night of finals, so it is important to talk to the professionals about the best way to ship these special treats. With the increase in the number of home meal companies sending ingredients around the country, the options for packaging perishables have increased a good deal.
Pre-wrapped presents to little ones who live across the country. Sometimes it is fun to surprise both the grandchildren and their parents. Wrapping a gift before you send it is the perfect way to send a surprise to the whole family. Requiring extra time and a second box, however, is necessary. If you want your special little one to have your present under the tree with the other gifts, pre-wrapping gifts with coordinating ribbons and bows can work well if the gift is then packaged inside a larger box. Packing peanuts are often the best kind of materials to use for this kind of special delivery.
As few as possible! If packaging gifts and standing in line to make all of the shipping decisions is not at the top of your list, you may be the holiday shopper who lets the company you order from take care of all of the shipping work. As this option becomes more popular, many companies offer gift wrapping options along with discount shipping rates during the holiday season.