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[stomlinson]

I continue to wonder how responsibile a an investment reporter or analyst considers himself when he makes comparisons based on anecdotal evidence.
I do not disagree with the expectation that a package that travels in an airplane overnight will arrive in better condition than a package that travels for days in a train. It could well be that apples and apples, as well as oranges and oranges comparisons will show FedEx does handle packages better. But I've not yet seen a vaild comparison between the two companies.

 

[thedrooler]

I have had similar "bad" experiences with my UPS deliveries, especially during this past holiday season. We received deliveries from UPS, Fedex, And the USPS. UPS ranked a poor 3rd in this head-to-head comparison. The packages were in poor condition. The driver and his helper simply pulled up in my driveway,which is a circular drive and runs right past my front door, and slid the packages across the front porch area toward the door. In some cases the packages stopped several feet from the door and were left that way. The door bell is never rung. Packages delivered by the other 2 services were handled the way UPS used to do it, with care and concern for the security of the package. I hope my experiences are unique and are not the norm for UPS.

 

[j13501]

Mountaingoat,
Your strategy will work well- I've been using it for years with my United Way contribution and have managed to "donate and then replace with current dollars", my first four years of MIP. The answer to your second question is that the 2.5% will not be affected if you replace the donated shares with the same dollar amount by the fourth quarter of the year. That's when the company calculates how much additional incentive you will receive that year

 

[dabusdrivr]

I have to add my 2 cents worth here---I had numerous packages delivered this peak season from all three carriers, UPS, FDX, and USPS. UPS never delivered one damaged package, always rang the bell, knocked, and in some cases waited at the door to hand me the package. FedEx on the other hand left packages twice without ever ringing the bell or knocking, and I only found those packages by accident. One was a next day air package with important documents. I won't even tell you how bad the USPS is at delivering anything in my area. I average one misdelivery of mail almost every week. At Christmas time it was triple that number weekly. Complaint letters sent to the local postmaster are a joke. Service just gets worst.

The delivery person is the key element in the quality of service you receive, and I'm sure that is either good or bad in different parts of the country. I have no complaints whatsoever on the quality of service UPS provides in my area. I can't say the same for the other two services.

 

[stomlinson]

I was more than a little disappointed this past holiday season that FedEx couriers were authorized to drop packages without a signature at residential addresses, signature release on file or not.. It was not the most publicized move FedEx has ever made. It made a difference as to which carrier I would have used.

That notwithstanding, everyone's anecdotal contributions aside, I am unaware of any solid study made comparing the various carriers. Studies are meaningless in one sense: if you received a package damaged in transit, no study in the world will make your damaged package easier to accept. But I suspect this problem plagues all carriers to a degree, and probably to much the same degree.

 

[michael]

"dabusdrivr" I think you hit it right on the head when you said that it depends on the delivery person . All three services have their good and bad delivery persons . I would think that UPS would have the least amount of poor delivery people .After all they are a unionized company and they pay top dollar to their drivers .

"drooler" you sound like a bitter person with something against UPS and their drivers . Could there be anything making you feel that way ? hahahahahaha

 

[rshoe4056]

Check out the new service our rivals have started.

 

[michael]

Drooler...

I WILL NOT !!!

Michael

 

[flimflam]

excerpt: "The recession has also hit United Parcel Service Inc., a cargo-only carrier.

"Certainly the shrinking economy is having an effect on our overall business," said UPS spokesman Dan McMackin. "We were down about 43 million packages in 2001, compared with 2000."

Cargo-only carrier FedEx Corp. has sidestepped some of the industry's troubles, thanks to a new, seven-year alliance with the U.S. Postal Service.

Under the deal, the post office delivers FedEx Express, Priority and first-class mail to homes across the nation, while FedEx's air transportation network sends mail around the world.

Since the Postal Service spends $722 million a year for air delivery services, the contract has been a boon for FedEx.

The company, based in Memphis, Tenn., saw its earnings soar 26 percent in its fiscal second quarter, ending Nov. 1, to $245 million vs. $194 million a year earlier. FedEx says profit this quarter and next may also exceed forecasts, with shipments possibly increasing by 20 percent."

 

[flimflam]

Appellate court reverses NLRB
order to bargain with Teamsters
at 4 Overnite locations and pay $4 million

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed its position and dealt the Teamsters union a serious setback in its effort to organize Overnite Transportation Co.

In a major victory for Richmond, Va.-based Overnite in its seven-year battle with the Teamsters, the appellate court, also based in Richmond, has sided with the company over bargaining orders and saved it as much as $3 million in disputed back pay for affected employees. Including interest, that back pay amount is now close to $4 million. As a result of this decision, this money that Overnite had set aside in an interest-bearing account will flow to Overnite.

The National Labor Relations Board, which now has a Republican majority, has 90 days to appeal to the Supreme Court and it has not indicated whether it will do so.

 

[flimflam]

UPS PUNISHES PACKAGES

UPS tries to be careful with the 3.3 billion packages it delivers every year, but some arrive crushed, broken open, or with the contents rattled to bits. To reduce the damage, customers can get help from UPS's Package Design and Test Lab inside the $27-billion-a-year company's corporate distribution hub at Hodgkins, Ill. The five-year-old lab uses a battery of test equipment to help customers get damage-free rides for their products.

"We do thousands of these jobs a year," says lab manager Chad Thompson. "The biggest increase is due mainly to e-commerce. The supply chain has changed. Often it's right from manufacturer to consumer. We are feeling a shift from the old full truckloads to a small-parcel environment. So packaging is different because the dynamics are different." The lab puts sensors in packages to record the "feel" during handling and transport. Among others things, the tests look out for "resonant frequencies" that may be set up because stacked boxes can amplify vibrations that may damage critical components such as circuitboards.

 

[upsadvisor]

If you are making a gift of stock to a charitable organization you can take a deduction on the value of the stock, be sure to get confirmation from the organization to prove the date of transfer as this will effect the value ( depending on what UPS shres are trading at on the date the shares were received ).

This is a good tax planning tool but as we are past the end of 2001 you will not be able to do this for the 2001 tax year.

One thing to keep in mind is that even if you replace the UPS shares you will only keep your dollar amount the same not your share amount so in order to keep your net share amount the same you would need to reourchase the shares based on number of shares not the amount of the gift.

 

[thedrooler]

If you're talking about that creature on CNBC, YIKES!!! Her nose ends at her chin! I think she has some chihuahua in her.

TheDrooler

 

[michael]

All wives are alike. They just have different faces so you can tell them apart.

I married Miss Right. I just didn't know her first name was Always.

Scientists have discovered a food that diminishes a woman's sex drive by 90%. It is called Wedding Cake

 

[michael]

Bigamy is having one wife too many. Many say monogamy is the same.

Our last fight was my fault: My wife asked me "What's on the TV?" I said, "Dust!"

 

[michael]

Drooler..
I believe you need an <FONT SIZE="+2">EYE</FONT> exam , you still have your insurance..perhaps a trip to the <FONT SIZE="+2">EYE</FONT> doctor is in order....hahahahaha

<FONT FACE="Elephant">Michael</FONT>

 

[batavia]

The conference is available through the UPS website. Looks like we got lucky with the weather, considering the snow is passing between Chicago and Indianapolis! Kuehn, Eskew and Mahoney have given a good overview. The analysts will see the air ops tonight.

 

[flimflam]

"Globally there's a $3 trillion market for the supply-chain services that UPS provides, Mr. Eskew said. Only a small portion of that is currently outsourced, he said." http://smartmoney.com/news/ON/index.cfm?story=ON-20020225-000632-2138

This is part of the market being targeted as logistics and non package growth. Capturing a portion of that business will be a significant growth factor for UPS. If you want to see the stock price rise over the next decade we have to grow the business. This is one of the areas that has a lot of potential for growth.

 

[jcroche]

Looks like the "Investor Conference" is equalling "Invester Confidence"!

@12:48 price is up $.80 on 1.933M shares.

 

[robonono]

Hopefully we will make some converts in the brokerage houses this week, and keep them convinced with time.

It seems like we had initial success with our first investors conference, immediately after our IPO, but our success in keeping the ANALysts focused on our strengths evaporated with time.