UPS delivers expanded store on Main Street
By Jessica King
Ramona’s newly remodeled UPS Store will host a grand re-opening celebration this month, complete with prize giveaways and other treats.
The celebration is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 29, at the Main Street business in the Stater Bros./Rite-Aid shopping center. From now until then, anyone who ships next- or second-day air at the store will receive an entry into a contest for two Disneyland park hopper tickets. A winner will be chosen at 2 p.m. the day of the celebration.
The store will also be playing “Mailbox Bingo” for new mailbox customers, who will be invited to open their boxes the day of the celebration to see if there’s a prize waiting inside.
Other planned festivities include baked goods from Ramona Cafe & Bake Shop and iTunes gift card giveaways. Also, free shredding services will be offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The UPS Store recently underwent a three-week transformation, taking on an additional 500 feet of vacant retail space next door.
“We do so much here that we were just busting out at the seams,” said owner Danielle Rickert, referring to all the shipping, printing and general small business services her store offers.
The 34-year-old franchisee also had to remodel to renew her agreement with UPS corporate.
The decor colors in the store pre-remodel were red, white and blue because the store was formerly a Mail Boxes Etc. UPS, which bought Mail Boxes Etc. for $191 million cash in 2001, requires all franchisees to switch over to the signature brown hues upon renewal.
In addition to the new decor, the store now boasts 1,700 square feet of floor space instead of 1,200.
Another change at the store is the extension of its hours of operation by one hour on weekdays. The store is now open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. It’s closed on Sundays.
However, customers registered for a special key can access mailboxes and timed computer use services 24-7, said Rickert.
UPS offers mailbox rentals starting at $60 for three months. Computers are equipped with the latest software, including Microsoft Office Pro and Adobe Suite, said Rickert.
Other services accessible during business hours include copying, faxing, Passport/ID photos, ink cartridge refilling and marketing imprints.
Small business owners, or anyone else with a need, can come in and have their logo and name imprinted on a variety of goods, from pens to travel coffee mugs, said Rickert.
“Our motto is basically not to say ‘no,’” she said. “If someone comes in with something, even if it’s something we’ve never done before, we’re going to do everything we can do to get it done.”
Rickert is also hoping to grow the store’s early door direct mail service, or EDDM for short. It’s a postal direct mail service that allows people to send fliers, postcards and other mail to an entire postal route without having a preset address list or having to pay standard postage for each mailer.