ParcelPedia Podcast

Unwrapping Holiday Shipping Secrets with ParcelPedia's James Banks

• James Banks • Episode 39

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Stressed about holiday shipping? Take a deep breath – it doesn't have to be the nightmare we've all come to expect. In this revealing episode, James Banks, owner of ParcelPedia, dismantles the holiday shipping madness with practical advice that will transform your seasonal sending experience.

The secret to stress-free holiday shipping isn't complicated, but it's powerful: be early. James explains how shipping just a week or two ahead of the rush doesn't just ensure on-time delivery – it dramatically reduces the risk of damage, saves you significant money, and eliminates the anxiety of tracking packages during peak chaos. When carriers are overloading trucks and hiring seasonal help who are "helping and learning at the same time," your early-shipped package enjoys a smooth, careful journey instead.

Beyond timing, James shares insider knowledge about package handling that might surprise you. Contrary to what you might expect, smaller packages often fare better during the holidays as fatigued drivers develop an aversion to large, cumbersome boxes. "That's their bane of existence during this time of year," James reveals, explaining why those big gifts might arrive a bit worse for wear. He also makes a compelling case for adding insurance – not just for financial protection, but because insured packages receive special attention throughout the shipping process.

Ready to revolutionize your holiday shipping experience? This episode delivers practical wisdom that will save you money, time, and holiday stress. Whether you're sending gifts across the country or just across town, these professional insights will ensure your packages arrive safely, on time, and without emptying your wallet. Stop by ParcelPedia at 8992 Preston Road in Frisco and mention this podcast for 10% off select shipping services – because shipping smarter starts with the right advice.

To learn more about ParcelPedia visit:
https://www.ParcelPedia.com
ParcelPedia
8992 Preston Road, Suite 110
Frisco, Texas
972- 335-1450

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Parcelpedia podcast, the ultimate guide to all things shipping and business services in Frisco, texas, from US mail and FedEx to private mailboxes and packing supplies. We've got you covered. Stay tuned for a special discount code to save on your next order. And now delivering expert tips and insider insights with a smile, here's your host, james Banks. Owner of Parcelpedia.

Speaker 2:

The holidays are magical, but shipping during the holidays not so much. In this episode, we unwrap the do's, don'ts and delightful facts that make seasonal shipping smoother and maybe even a little fun. Welcome back everyone. I'm Sofia Yvette, co-host and producer. Back in the studio with owner of Parcelpedia, james Banks. James, how are you today?

Speaker 3:

Hey Sofia, I'm doing pretty well today. How are you?

Speaker 2:

I'm good, great to have you back on today. Now, james, I know the holidays turn Parcelpedia into Santa's satellite office, so let's go ahead and talk about how folks can ship smarter and stress-free. Give us some insights into Holiday Shipping 101. What are the fun?

Speaker 3:

facts For sure, fun facts about holiday shipping. Shipping it does not have to be stressful, believe it or not. It can actually be enjoyable and it can be peaceful and reassuring and you can feel secure in your shipping during the holidays. I know it doesn't sound right, it's not what the news tells you and it's not what you see on your tv, but I promise you there are ways to do it and I am here to share that with you. Number one you've heard me say it here before and I'll say it until I can't say it anymore. The number one tip I have for anybody and everybody, including myself, because I'm one of the worst at it be early. I know you've heard it, everyone's telling you, everybody's told you and I know it's the same old, same old same. We've heard every single year. But literally the number one best thing you can do to not only ensure your packages get to your destination without not just delay but damage, to ensure you can go do your errands without running, getting run over, running to a million people all day, and to do it on a lower budget. That's another thing people don't realize is to be early. So some of those things that I just mentioned being there with security as far as your package being delivered safely and in a timely manner.

Speaker 3:

When you get close to the holiday hours or the holiday days or getting closer to, like the Christmas times and things of that nature, these drivers are very pressured by their carriers your FedExes, your UPSs, your Amazons. They are very pressured to not only deliver on time but to deliver as many packages as possible. So what happens with that is these trucks and these vans are getting loaded to their absolute max. So that is going to up the number of damages on boxes, it's going to up the number on delays because things are getting misplaced, they're being loaded onto the wrong truck. Your pack's supposed to be in Oakland, california, and you're looking at the track and it's in New Jersey. It's just all those things. They get exasperated during the holiday hours because they have a lot of holiday employees, people that were not there all year but now this week they're working and they got your package in their hands right. So it's just so many factors that just collapse on the holiday time that you can avoid by just being a week to two weeks early and you'll see your package delivered safe with your recipient before the holiday even comes, and it's just the best feeling. Man, I'm done, my list is done. I saved money. That's another thing. Holiday shipping can spike during those holiday days. You will even see notices come out from the carriers. Usps every year will tell you we're raising prices, get ready, christmas is around the corner. We're raising prices. Fedex will raise prices.

Speaker 3:

If you wait and now you got to rush things because they're going to be closer in days with the holidays coming up you're going to have to pay more. So I really stress you got to be early because if you're early you just escape all of that. It's just so much stress, so much worry and so much pain out of your wallet that you can just alleviate and just ignore and be free of. So really, if you heard anything, just try to be early. If you can't, that's the next step.

Speaker 3:

If you can't be early, something happens. You're waiting on a package to get to you so you can expect to make sure it's good and send it out, and that gets delayed. I know that happens. Please ask, even if you don't come to Parcelpedia. If you're somewhere else, ask. Say, hey, what are all my options? Because during the holidays these employees at these big box stores are being pushed to offer or to ask for the most expensive service. Are you sure you don't want to overnight this first thing tomorrow? Signature with $1,000 insurance? No man, I'm just sending a card. They will push to try to get you to spend more money. So you really want to be an advocate for yourself and you want to just do those steps. There's so much preparation before you even get to the point of shipping. That just helps save so much.

Speaker 3:

So, being early, knowing what you want to ship, shipping smaller items I know it sounds counterintuitive when you're talking about the holidays and gifts and stuff like that, but shipping smaller items helps as well. They get handled a little bit better, surprisingly, I know. Even if they're smaller they can get a real good baseball speed on them. But it's actually the bigger boxes, the drivers. They get run down, they get fatigued, and so those big boxes, big, cumbersome boxes they're like their mortal enemies. That's their bane of existence during this time of the year. So they are tossing them, they're throwing them, they're kicking them because they don't like to see the big boxes. So I know that sounds crazy. You probably never heard that before. But seriously, the smaller boxes do way better during the holidays than the larger boxes. So yeah, I know these are all they sound like very straightforward and common sense tips, but I'm just trying to stress how big of a butterfly effect the ripple effect as far as if you take these small steps early, how much it'll help you and how much it'll save you. You're talking about time, you're talking about stress, you're talking about money. If you can save on all three of those, you're winning right. So really, please, if you can be early.

Speaker 3:

Another thing when you're shipping during the holidays is don't, please I know it's very tempting to ship gift cards, to ship cash. It's dangerous If you're going to ship those things that have high value that if they go missing it's almost impossible to recover. Ship them in an insured way. You can insure a package without breaking the bank A lot of times. Fedex options you can add $100 of insurance for $1, $2 more. That is worth it, because when you have an insured package now, every person that touched that package, whether it's the driver, whether it's the loader at the facility, when that package is scanned it shows insured. Nobody wants to be on the hook for, hey, this package went missing and this part of the route that's on you. No driver, no employee wants that to fall back on their record. So they take better care of your insured packages. That's what it's for is to be insured.

Speaker 3:

Adding that insurance like a hundred dollars insurance. I'm just seeing a little gift to my nephews. Ask them what's the price difference between this insurance and no insurance? And when you see it's just a dollar, two dollars, I would say it's worth it and it's just those little things that help you get your packages to your recipient in a timely, safe manner and you don't have to break the bank. It's talked about. You hear it on the news every year. Here comes the holiday shopping, get ready to spend, but you don't really actually have to spend more than you would purchasing any other time of the year wow, now, james, it sounds like it's really just about when, more than anything else, when it comes to the shipping needs.

Speaker 3:

It is. You can always do things like the type of service, the insurance, but really, if your box is sitting comfortably on a truck being shipped to its destination and with a driver who's just kind of going about his normal day stress-free, that's what you want, compared to a box that's trying to literally get crammed so the door will shut behind it. You got a driver who's running around like a chicken with his head cut off. He's got a helper who doesn't know what they're doing. Nothing against them, they're just new. They're literally there helping and learning at the same time. So they're going to be so much help and it's just, it's madness. We've all seen it.

Speaker 3:

And if anyone has been to the mall, anyone's been out shopping during the holiday times closer to the holidays, you've seen it. People are just, and I know what it is. The holidays riles us all up and we just get a little crazy. But if you see that on the consumer side and your side, in the grocery store or at a Costco or a Target or Walmart, whatever, imagine these shipping facilities where all of these packages are going across the country from here to there, drop shipped customers there, blah, blah, blah. So it's a lot.

Speaker 3:

It's a lot of logistics all over the place, and so I just want you to keep that in mind. You can escape it, you can avoid it, you can really be fine by just doing it a little. And it's just a little early. You don't have to be, you don't have to ship your packages out in October for Christmas. Every carrier and again we put them on our website FedEx, ups, us Mail, dhl they have what they call their holiday calendar where they put if you don't ship by this day, don't expect it to arrive by this day, and they show you exactly when. And those resources are always there for you. So you have that to use. You know exactly when you can call us and say, hey, when's a good time for me to ship, really before I need to worry, and we'll tell you. You can call us and say, hey, when's a good time for me to ship, really before I need to worry, and we'll tell you We'll be honest with you, so we're here to help.

Speaker 3:

We hope that you take those tips and integrate them into your annual holiday shopping and shipping and see that it's a more stress-free year for you.

Speaker 2:

Wow, love that, james. Holiday shipping doesn't have to be chaos when you've got Parcelpedia in your corner. See you next time for more tips and tales from the shipping world.

Speaker 1:

Thanks for joining us on the Parcelpedia podcast. Don't forget mention podcast at our store to snag 10% off select shipping services. Stop by at 8992 Preston Road, suite 110, frisco, texas, or give us a ring at 972-335-1450. We're here to make your shipping a breeze. Until next time, keep shipping and smiling.