The Straight Poop: The UPS Store

By Drake the Dog
Reader Pet Columnist

Where am I taking my humans today?

I’ve never understood why the Missus won’t leave the house without the leash. I think she’s afraid of getting lost. But it’s OK. I kind of like showing her around. The holidays will be here before you know it, so I’m sniffing out a paws-up place that will help the Mister and Missus focus on their businesses and cope with the magical season ahead.

Drake, center, pals around with Jaime Meichtry, left, and Mindy Berry, right, at the UPS Store in Sandpoint.

So here are some ruff sketch clues:

1. These guys have to rent U-Hauls to get things out of there during the holidays.

2. The folks who work there are massive multi-taskers, and they love their four-footed customers.

3. This place can raise the woof on your business.

4. They offer miles and miles (not airline) of tape and bubble wrap (pop pop!).

5. This business offers curb service.

Go fetch! Got it! Bring it to the UPS Store, owned by Joy and Brett Bachelor, located at 217 Cedar St. Jaime Meichtry and Mindy Berry, vibrant retail associates welcome us with their exuberant smiles. Jaime is celebarking her birthday today and is all decked out. (Note to self—ask to borrow the accessories she is wearing for my Halloween costume).

Jaime is helping a customer send a package to Cheese Lane in Hamburg (Pennsylvania, that is). Did someone mention cheese? I’m waiting, waiting, waiting for it, and all I see are yards and yards of bubble wrap and tape. Jaime, where did you hide my cheese?

The fun continues as these two greet incoming customers by name and fetch mail from their personal mailboxes before they even get to the counter. There are 415 mailboxes here and each comes a “real address.” Now that’s what I call barking personalized service right in town!

The UPS store has resources to create newsletters, letterhead, raffle tickets, training manuals (the Missus knows all about this one) and more. They even have a community bulletin board, notary and faxing services. Who has a fax machine nowadays? Wonder if they have the Reader paw print logo for my new world-renowned dog columnist business cards?

I especially like this place because they do the work which enables the Mister and Missus to have more time to take me on walks!  And they offer complimentary packing tape for any package!

Now for the Wowza: The UPS Store offers the “Pack and ship guarantee.” Jaime tells us that when she packs and ships items using materials from the UPS Store, they cover the cost of packing and shipping plus the value of items if they are lost or damaged. She wraps gifts like they were her own. Now I can finally spend a relaxing dog day afternoon knowing that my fragile holiday gift that I’m sending to my BFF RoRo in Houston will arrive in one piece. It’s such fun watching Jaime find just the right box, wrap it with ribbons of bubble wrap, throw in peanuts, double and triple tape it and collect my paw print to sign. Get the money, honey, and we’re off to the trail!

During the holidays it’s not uncommon for the team to pack and ship over 200 packages a day. With this massive volume, they rent U-Hauls to transport the precious cargo.

I asked the gals what were the most challenging things they packed and sent using the UPS pack and ship guarantee. They said a 120-pound bronze statue and a four-point deer mount topped the list. Both packages arrived to their destinations safely. Bubble wrap costume, here I come!

UPS Rules:

1. Leave your doggie package outside.

2. Do not snack on the peanuts. Trust me on this one.

3. Bring your smile, good manners, and a treat for the gals!