Effective Purchasing is far more than just getting a low price, and today it requires recognition of every cost involved in an acquisition – a concept known as Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). A good... View More

There was no press release, there was no notice to shippers that I am aware of. FedEx did as I predicted and changed the tables by which they calculate their fuel surcharge and it will be effective February... View More

Have you noticed that the price of fuel has been going down? Here is the history of the last 5 years. Up until April of 2011 Both FedEx and UPS charged the same fuel surcharge. Obviously as the cost of... View More

A recent survey of global supply chain professionals by Transport Intelligence and Kewill has identified supply chain risk is an increasingly important issue for both LSPs and shippers. The survey examined... View More

Stitch Labs revealed today that, despite falling short of expectations, Black Friday does not define the entire holiday season for small retailers. Black Friday only accounts for about twice the sales... View More

Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone, and the holiday shopping season is in full swing. But as shoppers and shippers review their long gift lists, they shouldn’t have short memories about... View More

What do Macy’s, Toys“R”Us, Walmart and Gap have in common? All have them have begun expanding into the world of ship-from-store. Now brick-and-mortar businesses are using their stores... View More

In the September/October issue, we started a Top Ten list that’s not at all funny! Having met with thousands of parcel shippers over the past 25 years, I’ve compiled a list of recurring mistakes... View More

Automation is about more than just replacing a human workforce with a mechanical one. There are many factors that must be given adequate consideration when assessing the value an automated system stands... View More

The holiday rush is about to start, and the ubiquitous use of technology to purchase gifts, in addition to consumers' desire to get what they want, when they want it and how they want it, pushes retail/ecommerce... View More

Parcel carriers, through early adaptation of barcodes, have been conducting micro-analysis of data collected on package, shipper, and network operations for more than 20 years, and are experts on cost... View More

In February, you will start to see your parcel expense budgets to be out line if you did not plan for the recent rate increases and dimensional weight policy changes. The two main drivers to the increases... View More

The developments and attention to the topic of Delivery has risen to a fever pitch over the last year. Spurred by ecommerce and the drive to provide customer convenience, nearly every player in the delivery... View More

The parcel landscape is rapidly changing in an increasingly competitive market and if you’re not willing to adapt, survival will be short-lived. How we adapt to the change will separate the winners... View More

Target recently announced that it would offer free shipping on every online order its customers make through December 20 this year. That decision, while newsworthy, isn’t necessarily surprising.... View More

Consultants and organizations often define strategic sourcing differently, so it is important to clarify the term when discussing implementation and impact. Some definitions include: - An organized, systematic,... View More

“If You’re Not Looking at Regional Carriers, You’re Leaving Money on the Table”. This was the recurring theme at many educational sessions at the recent Parcel Forum. At these... View More

Have you noticed how few people are attending after hours professional meetings these days? It’s a disturbing trend that extends to virtually all service and professional organizations, way beyond... View More

The hustle and bustle of the holiday season often excludes planning for the inevitability that some of what goes out must come back. The facts are mounting. Holiday shoppers buy nearly half of their gifts... View More

The last thing online shoppers want to worry about is their gifts making it to their loved ones on time and intact. It's up to eCommerce retailers to alleviate online shopping fears, and make the fulfillment... View More