oddball facts about ups

[ironylife]

anybody have any oddball facts about ups. Im sure for as long as ups has been around there are many interesting tidbits that are not common knowledge, even for employees. I do know that we are one of the only companies that have a trademark on a color(I think the other is owens-corning which markets pink). I also believe that we have a trademark on the rounded nose of the package cars, which you will never see on a fedex or post office vehicle. Anybody else have anything?

 

[sendagain]

The company used to post records in a magazine called the Bid Idea. I once had someone mail a pkg with a COD attached for $0.00. What did I do? I collected a check for $0.00, and thought I had the record, but the company wouldn't accept it.

 

[deliver_man]

One time I came to work and my hand cart was gone from my truck. To this very day noone knows what happened to it. It is a mystery.

 

[moreluck]

sendagain.....It was the Big Idea

 

[switchoff]

My 4 wheel magliner also disappeared 3-4 years ago. Just recently my co-worker stumbled across an old man on the street using it to deliver produce. He kindly re-acquired it for me. It still had the UPS brown label down the side and my initials marked on it!

 

[mojobuc]

switchoff,
seems about once a week, more when it is cold out, we (preload) find someone using the brown trucks as their personal motel 8.

 

[sendagain]

At our hub, the handcarts routinely disappeared, leaving the driver to scramble to find a cart he could use to get his work done. I once found my handcart gone, so I grabbed a loose one from another center, took it out on route in the airport I delivered, spray painted it a different color and had something unique and easy to spot.

 

[upsdude]

Our building houses 2 centers. We had a big problem with the managers borrowing cars from the other center, cars are now labeled for the center they belong to.

Hand truck.. I leave mine on area with an OK from LP and center management.

 

[gman]

Back to unusual facts. I heard something somewhere that we are required by law to charge twice as much for 2nd day delivery than the post office. Anyone else ever hear that.

 

[ironylife]

just lock up the hand truck in the vehicle. Only you and the cut drivers who do your route know the combo....its a simple and logical solution.

 

[double_standard]

The very first ups pickup in canada was in my area at vogue patterns about 25 years ago.

 

[double_standard]

The very first ups pickup in canada was in my area at vogue patterns about 25 years ago.

 

[switchoff]

It would be nice to know if that customer is still using us after 25 years.

 

[upsdude]

"Back to unusual facts. I heard something somewhere that we are required by law to charge twice as much for 2nd day delivery than the post office. Anyone else ever hear that."

I do recall hearing something about that. We (and FredEx) are required to charge more than the PO for competing services.

 

[rushfan]

Is it true when UPS started up north (Canada) we could only use old taxi vehicles as delivery vehicles? One manager told me that.

I once saw a cod package for 150,000. It was promptly returned to shipper. A week later I saw it for 150.00

I heard in the earlier days of UPS we delivered Opium to the Opium dens of Seattle.

(Message edited by rushfan on May 29, 2005)

 

[revenuerecovery]

There's a scribe in the sidewalk in Pioneer Square (Downtown Seattle) where it all started. Sorry, I haven't ventured down there yet so I don't know what it says...
FYI, the nearest UPS facility is about 4 miles away.

 

[fredly00]

I believe the "office" under the sidewalk in
seattle still exists.

19yr old Casey couldn't afford rent, so the land lord cut rent in half.

the Brown color was copied from an train company.

I've seen the flaming UPS package car in person.

 

[upsdude]

rushfan....

We used "Checkers" in Canada. I remember a former division manager that had a diecast Checker on his desk. Checkers look like a really big 4 door 55 Chevy.

 

[wily_old_vet]

How many of the newbies in the company even realize if took us years to be able to deliver in every state much less around the world. Texas was the last of the 48 contiguous states to allow us because the railroad commission there fought tooth and nails to keep us out.

 

[moreluck]

wily......wasn't Ladybird involved in that TX. fight?