Tag: fedex

A Resolution Worth Keeping

Happy New Year!  It’s 2023 and we are looking forward to another great year of serving and shipping 5Gstore products to our customers.  Although 2022 had its fair share of shipping struggles (mainly the price of gas), our primary shipper, FedEx, was able to keep the packages moving and even enabled a few new advances. 

One of those advances is PPOD, or Picture Proof of Delivery.  This has rolled out in many areas within the country and will continue to do so throughout the year. Essentially, FedEx is taking pictures at the time of drop off so that any home delivery without a required signature will have visual proof of the delivery.  It’s the goal to have this for all deliveries, business or residential, that do not have a regular pick up or drop off schedule.  

Another exciting change, which kicked off in 2022, is that FedEx has set a goal of having a completely electrical vehicle deployment by 2040. Last year the company was able to start this journey in California. The result was putting over 100 vehicles on the road.  Not only is this good for the environment, but the goal is to cut down the customer cost of fuel and the surcharges that come along with shipping currently. This is a definite win/win.  

Although shipping seems to be a 365 day a year event, the fine workers at shipping companies need their holidays too.  Below is the 2023 Holiday Shipping Schedule.   

  • 4/8 and 4/9-  Easter Weekend
  • 5/27, 5/28, and 5/29 (Monday)- Memorial Day Weekend
  • 7/1 and 7/2- 4th of July Weekend
  • 7/4 (Tuesday)- 4th of July Day
  • 9/2, 9/3, and 9/4 (Monday)- Labor Day Weekend
  • 11/11- Veterans Day
  • 11/23 (Thursday) Thanksgiving Day
  • 11/25 and 11/26-  Thanksgiving Weekend
  • 12/16 and 12/17- Observed Holiday
  • 12/23, 12/24, and 12/25 (Monday)- Christmas Weekend and Day
  • 12/30, 12/31, and 1/1/24 (Monday)- New Years Weekend and Day. 

When shipping around the holidays be aware that Ground Services are occasionally closed. Planning ahead can make a big difference.  Many businesses who rely on shipping, will follow this when deciding what day to observe holidays for themselves. 

If you have any questions about shipping or when your order may arrive, please contact our team via phone, email, or chat!

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How Fast Can I Get My Order?

Everybody has things to do, and everybody wants to get things done.  Preferably as fast, easy, and cost efficient as possible.  5Gstore is no different, in our mission statement “Helping You Stay Connected”, we too want to help people get things done with as little hassle as possible. 

The 5Gstore team works hard to have what you need, with the people and knowledge you want to get your desired results.  The only question is how to decide the best way to get what we have to you?  When you order from 5Gstore you can choose to order on your own account with a particular shipper or you can choose to use our account with the discounted rate applied.  When you check out on our website, there’s several options available to you but what is the difference between them all?

Whenever anything is shipped by any shipping company, the first thing to understand is that there are no guarantees.  The estimations for delivery are calculated based on factors such as, where is it coming from, and where is it going to.  What is the item, box, weight and when is the pickup of the package are also factors.  Weather, distance, and available hubs along the route of the package also play a part.  

The map below is our FedEx Ground Delivery guide which shows approximately how long a package should take to reach its destination, it clearly shows that the farther from the starting point (the star in Illinois) the longer it will take to reach the destination. 

As mentioned earlier, there are several options available to you on our website at the time of checkout and we can use an example of a 1 lb. package being shipped from the 5Gstore warehouse to New Orleans, Louisiana as a guide to see how it affects costs.  

  • SmartPost– This is the most cost effective way to do shipping but it may take 10-14 business days to arrive and with the SmartPost feature your package may be handed off to USPS to complete the delivery process.                      
    •  Cost to N.O.L.A.  $12.37
  • Ground– This is the most common means of transportation for packages.  The map above is a good guide for how many days it will take.      
    •  Cost to N.O.L.A.  $17.69
  • Express Saver–  This is the FedEx term for 3 day delivery. This is a rarely used means of delivery since it’s hardly financially beneficial.              
    • Cost to N.O.L.A.  $30.03
  • 2 Day– This is a semi-popular method, especially for those who live further away from the starting point.  When compared to Express Saver it’s the obvious choice since it’s slightly more to get the package a day earlier.                 
    • Cost to N.O.L.A.  $30.99

The above options are helpful when you need your product.   But what about when you need your product right NOW!?  There are 3 different overnight delivery options for you to choose from. 

  • Standard Overnight–  This option will get you your package tomorrow, and it could arrive at any time during the day.
    • Cost to N.O.L.A.  $44.01
  • Priority Overnight– This option will make your package a priority and will be delivered before noon.
    • Cost to N.O.L.A   $49.42
  • First Overnight– This option moves your package to the very top of the priority list, and could be there as early as 7:00 a.m. This could be a risky purchase if you have a business that doesn’t open until 9 or nobody at the house is an early riser.  If you absolutely need it, and you know it will be received then this might also be your best option.  
    • Cost to N.O.L.A.  $151.84

Though the information was for FedEx, all shipping companies operate very similarly regardless of which verbiage they use.  We hope that our example from 5Gstore to New Orleans gives you a better understanding of how costs are affected and what options are available to you.  If ever you are placing an order that is very large, or to a remote location within the country please feel free to call us ahead of making the order so that an estimated shipping quote can be created for you.  

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Take Control of your Shipments

It is important that you know how to stay ahead of the delays. Here are a few ways that you can take control and help reduce the impacts of these expected delays around this time of year due to the Holidays and Weather.

  1. Pick your method wisely
    • All carriers are facing Heavy Package Volumes and Driver shortages.
    • Ground Shipments are continuing to have extended delivery times averaging around 2-3 days longer.
    • Although the carriers strive to deliver your packages as quickly as possible – at this time all “Delivery Guarantees” are suspended through January 2022.
  2. Utilize pick up locations
    • Don’t forget to utilize the FedEx or UPS pickup locations.
    • This is a great way to avoid missing the first delivery attempt!
  3. Place your orders early
    • With the New Year quickly approaching – be sure to get your orders placed the week of 12/13/2021 to ensure you are ready to go before the end of the year.
    • Remember, we are here to help support getting your new equipment up and running!
  4. Ensure your shipping address is complete!
    • Be sure your shipping address is complete including a company name and/or suite/apt number when applicable. 

As always – thank you for being a 5Gstore Customer!

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