Print

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 17, 2008

Contact: David Walton
(502) 454-1695
david.l.walton2@usps.gov

usps.com/news

USPS — The Best Value In Shipping

Postal Service Soars Above Competition In TV Spot

CHARLESTON, WV — Who offers the best value in today’s shipping business? The U.S. Postal Service, according to ABC Action News in Tampa which recently conducted a shipping test in a televised report.

With the cost of shipping going nowhere but up, WFTS-TV reporter Jackie Callaway wanted to find out who you could trust to get your package from Point A to Point B in one piece for the best price. So she pitted the U.S. Postal Service against its two closest competitors — FedEx and UPS.

She shipped nine packages containing different items (wine glasses, bananas, tortilla chips) that were similar in size but large enough where damage could occur. They were sent with two-day service from Tampa to WFTS’ sister station in Boston and were supposed to arrive before the close of business on the second day.

UPS charged $33.94 per box to ship the items and the packages arrived at 10:20 a.m. FedEx charged an average of $37.78 per box, which arrived seven minutes later. The Postal Service charged $8.90 per item and delivery was made 4½ hours later.

Employees at WMAR-TV checked the contents of each box and found that the bananas had arrived unbruised and the tortilla chips had been transported in a gentle fashion. Even the stemware, which was the only item shipped in a box marked “fragile,” arrived in one piece.

However, the Postal Service turned out to the “best buy” by saving the reporter $25 and $29 respectfully. We challenge your media outlet to conduct a similar shipping test and share the results with your audience.

Besides our low prices, customers can save an additional 3 percent by using Click-N-Ship at www.usps.com for their Priority Mail and Express Mail needs. Shipping supplies are free and customers can request free Carrier Pickup at their home or place of business.

With gas prices affecting every American household and business, isn’t it time to rethink your shipping needs? Remember, you can always depend on the Postal Service for the lowest price and most reliable service whenever and wherever you ship.

# # #

An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation — 146 million homes and businesses. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.