Auctions and getting items shipped is causing me some drama...
So for anyone who doesn't know, I use a shipper in Canada called Chit Chats Express to transport items from Canada to USPS in Niagara (where my return address is, and items get shipped with USPS from).
There have been some issues with the branch of CCE near my work since I've been home from my trip with a lot of random closures and no staff. I was given a song and dance about how they know it's important to keep the branch open every day since it serves a very large area (around half a million people in the area). I had been dropping packages off a couple times a week (well 2-3 is what I commit to with customers). I don't live near a CCE branch, so going to the one near work is good because I pass by it on the way home.
Anyway some changes were made and they have regular closures of this branch, so my alternative is to drive to Hamilton or Burlington (both branches are around 50 miles away, but Burlington is off the highway and Hamilton is in the city with lots of slow driving, even though it's closer). For the past few weeks to deal with closures I've been driving to Burlington after work (before going home) to drop off packages.
I have auctions ending on Sunday. Auctions end between 4pm and 7pm EDT and at 7pm I start packing, and after some sleep, I sometimes get up early and pack a bit more to get as much out on Monday as possible. I figure if they've waited all week for the auction to end they want it shipped right away, which is fair enough.
I complained to CCE that Monday should be one of their open days (after two days and three nights of weekends where people are buying and I'm packing orders... I often run out of time to pack at the end of the week and catch up on Sunday). We'll see if the complaint helps, if maybe everyone else complains too, perhaps they'll do something about it.
Anyway the latest is that Niagara Falls (and the area where I live) is set to have a total solar Eclipse on Monday (one of my shipping days) and we're expecting a million plus tourists in the area and the highways I need to take to drop off my packages to be a parking lot in the afternoon as people return back to Toronto (which isn't in the path of the total eclipse, they're all driving to Niagara, past my CCE branch in Burlington).
To avoid frustration, I've decided I won't ship on Monday. It's a state of emergency on Monday and they're recommending you don't go out unless you have to if you live around here. Great measures are being taken to police the city with the influx of people and cars everywhere on the roads which were never meant to handle that much traffic.
I figure if customers understand big snow storms in the area that keep me off the roads, this is not much different... so fingers crossed I don't get any angry emails this weekend.
C.
