Question about UPS Drop off at Access Points.

[chicweb]

Is anyone here knows about UPS Access points? Maybe someone who worked for one ?

We drop our packages to be sent at an access point here, in our city. Sometime, they get shipped a few hours later, sometime it takes a few days, then the shipping is lightning fast.

I guess it all depend on Access Points? How does it work internally? Do the driver waits for a specific amount of packages before grabbing them? Specific days per week? Random?

Just curious.

[recped]

Suggest you contact UPS for an accurate answer (or ask at the access point). I'm sure that UPS has hundreds of drop off locations, depending the one you use and where it's located the pickup schedule may be different as would the daily cut-off time.

I suspect most access points would have daily pickups but I do not know if the packages are processed in Trois-Rivieres or if they go to Montreal.

[prescilaschina]

Drivers pick up from access points daily but if they have a full load some gets left behind for the next day. I am told to expect a few days delay because of the postal strike they are overwhelmed.

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

Your best bet is to ask the manager of the access point the next time you go. Because they are franchised, procedures might vary from location to location. Also, with the Canada Post strike, it's possible that things could be done differently.

If you are in an area where pickups are available, it's well worth it to book a pickup. Even if it is just for one item. It costs a dollar if you book online the day before. To put things into perspective, an entire week of pickups costs almost the same as a single Canada Post pickup. 

One note about pickups is that the drivers are told not to scan things. If you have the same driver everyday, you might be able to convince them to scan them for you but it's YMMV. I have noticed in the past that if I have more than one item for a pickup and I only specifically ask them to scan one (say an expensive item), the scanned item seems to process at the local facility the same night, while the unscanned item gets delayed by at least a day. I have no idea why this might be. 

[jtg204]

We've changed to dropping off at the 'UPS Store' access points instead.

They have a ground pickup time on their individual store locations ( https://www.theupsstore.ca/store-finder/ ) and have been more reliable for being picked up the same day if we get them there before the ground pickup time stated.  Or Mondays if dropped off Saturday.

It's a further travel distance, but we have not had to sit waiting 2 days again wondering why it hasn't been picked up from the pizza convenience store.

[byto253]

Just sent an item and did the same calculation and went a little further to the UPS store.  On its way that night.

[marnotom!]

The UPS Access Point (an older gas station with a newer Timmy's attached) in my town has been temporarily shut down.  I'm guessing it doesn't have the capacity for the additional volume of anticipated packages and parcels.