But there is another option.  It doesn’t work for all packages and it’s not always the cheapest way to ship.  But many times, it costs much less than either of the two private shipping companies.  The U.S. Postal Service has developed some competitive shipping options and pricing incentives that benefit all of us.  And it is going after business in a big way–including television advertising.

I’ve found that I’m using the priority mail as my shipping choice more than ever.  The Post Office offers FREE package pickup six days a week.  You just have to get your request in by 2:00 a.m. that morning.  There are post offices everywhere, so it’s easy to drop off a package if you’ve missed the pickup deadline.  And they can do things that neither Fedex nor UPS can — provide free Saturday delivery, deliver to P.O. Boxes and residential mailboxes and they don’t charge extra to do it.  And they provide FREE shipping boxes in a variety of sizes.  Gifts created in the small Boxco boxes fit perfectly inside the new Shoebox size boxes.

For packages that are less than 1 cubic foot and weigh less than 2 pounds, the postal service is hard to beat.  Heavier products that can fit in one of the Flat Rate Boxes (and there are three different sizes), can be shipped inexpensively (not cheap — no shipping is cheap–but inexpensively) and arrive from one coast to the other in 2-3 business days.  Ground shipping with either Fedex or UPS will take 5 to 6 business days. 

Sign up for the USPS online service and receive a discount of approximately 5% off post office prices for Express Mail and 4.7% for Priority Mail.  I can print out my postage online, order a FREE pickup, or drop it off at the post office (with no standing in line) when I’m out and about.  If you’re a high volume shipper, the discounts are even greater.

They’re not perfect by any means.  Processing your postage online includes free delivery confirmation but unless you stand in line and have the package checked in at the counter, the shipping receipt time is not recorded.  And unlike the other shipping services, you can’t really track the package until it has been delivered.  For other than express mail, delivery times are not guaranteed.  However, with a few rare exceptions, delivery from Arizona to the Northeast has been as little as 2 business days for many of my packages.  But for those occasions when a package has to be there on a particular day, I still pay the extra charges and use UPS with its guaranteed delivery date. 

For your bigger gift baskets, UPS or Fedex is going to have cheaper shipping in most cases.  But for those smaller gifts, the USPS is hard to beat.  Compare prices the next time you ship and you may be surprised.

Watch this video and then come back:

Everyone Needs A Helping Hand

Did you smile as you watched?  Did you see how it can apply to us as well.? 

I’ve been asked by several people, why are you spending your time creating this blog and writing in it just about every day?  What do you hope to accomplish?  What are you going to get out of it?

Well, that video says it all.  Everyone needs a helping hand at some time or another.  I’ve created several successful businesses through the years.  And now it’s time to extend that helping hand.

This is just one of the “helping hands” in the works.  There are others planned.  I’m asked a question on several gift basket related forums and received a variety of answers.  But I know that some of the readers of this blog don’t visit the forums.  Some of you are not even in the gift business but have found this blog helpful.  So, it’s time to ask you the same question.  Here it is:

“What do you consider your biggest business problem or frustration to be?”

Your answers will help me zero in on the areas where a “helping hand” is most needed. 

Instead, it was an email selling business cards.  And, the surprising thing about it was that , when I clicked to the site, it looked amazingly identical to the VistaPrint site.  It’s easy enough for companies to partner with other companies with a dropship program.  Some of these companies even offer a branded website.  Many of us in the gift basket business take advantage of the dropship option in order to provide larger selections for our customers without having to carry the inventory.

But fedex?  I was surprised.  But, considering the recession we’re currently in, I guess even the giants in the various industries have to do what it takes to survive — even if it means branching out into a field that has no relation to their core service. 

We, as small business owners, can learn from fedex’s decision.  If our core business isn’t making enough money, think outside the box and see what you can add that will provide additional income.  Dropshipping is one option, but be careful!  There are good dropship companies and there are others that will destroy your credibibility, but that’s another whole article.

What are you doing to increase your income?

My husband and I had been married for about a year. Ron had just got out of the navy and we had returned to his home town of Santa Cruz, California where he went back to the job he had as fireman on the Southern Pacific Railroad.
But he knew that wasn’t what he wanted for a life career, so he started working nights and taking classes at the local Cabrillo Jr College.

It was a new, small college back then and Ron was a member of the Student Council.  The college started a guest speaker program for the school and the community.  Before the appearance of each guest, the student council members, along with a few faculty members, had dinner with the speaker.

On this particular night, when she walked into the room, although not particularly attractive and very old to the eyes of this nineteen-year-old, she appeared to be as dynamic as her photos.

As a young woman, not even old enough to vote yet and not particularly interested in politics, I didn’t realize how very special this lady was.  But today, almost fifty years later, I still remember some of what she said that night.  She shared her experiences and how she had learned that “no one can make you feel inferior except yourself”. 

As someone just starting a new marriage in a new state with a whole different life and future ahead of me, the second secret was just as important.  That night, Eleanor Roosevelt’s words made a difference in my life when she said, “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

I’ve remembered those secrets of success that I learned from this famous woman that I shared a dinner with just before she died.  Throughout her lifetime, she made never-to-be-forgotten impressions on many people and I was one of them.

What does this have to do with you as gift business owners?   A lot!  I’m passing on these two secrets to you with the hopes that you, too, will remember them whenever you are scared to go on those sales calls, afraid to step out and take a chance with your business, become discouraged and want to quit, or just need a bit of inspiration.

During those times, just remember the words of Eleanor Roosevelt:
           ”No one can make you feel inferor except yourself.”
           ”The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

As I sat in the courtroom and watched this special little girl, dressed in what she calls her “twirly dress”, smiling with pure happiness, I thought back to the day almost two years ago when I first met her.  Details are not important and are too personal to be shared but she was a foster child who was to be a temporary addition to my daughter’s family.

Yesterday, temporary became permanant as the judge, looking stern in his black robes while trying to smother a smile, said “I approve this adoption and name change.”

Yesterday was Rosa’s Special Day.  But yesterday was also a very special day for our whole family as my daughter and son-in-law acquired a new daugher and I acquired a new grand-daughter.

Yesterday was Rosa’s Day.  But yesterday was also Family Day.

 Free Handwriting Font in  YOUR handwriting

So, you want a font in your own handwriting? This is not anything new but it is usually not free.  In today’s world, free is good.  Right?  For a limited time, you can get it done for free at YourFonts.com . Once they reach 250 thousand fonts, they will start charging. They are closing in on 130 thousand fonts now.

Rebate and More on any Dummies Book and Audio Set

March is Dummies Month apparently. When you buy any “For Dummies” book or audio set between March 1st and 31st, you will be entitled to a $5 rebate check and that’s not all, they will send you an additional $5 rebate for any “For Dummies” book that you purchase from June – August 2009. Details here.

Free Website Magazine

I receive Website Magazine and have found that it is a great mag for anyone who owns and runs a web site and more importantly looking to make it profitable. You can grab your copy here Website Magazine.  Magazine offers run out quickly and I don’t know when they will re-appear so you’ll want to get yours today before the offer closes.

That’s it for today, folks.  But check back often as I will be posting other great free offers periodically.

1. Don’t name a pig you plan to eat.
2. Life is not about how fast you run, or how high you climb, but how well you bounce.
3. Life is simpler when you plow around the stumps
4. Trouble with a milk cow is she won’t stay milked. 
5. Words that soak into your ears arewhispered, not yelled.
6. Meanness don’t happen overnight
7. Never lay an angry hand on a kid or an animal; it just ain’t helpful.
8. Forgive your enemies. It messes with their heads.
9. Don’t sell your muloe to buy a plow.
10. Don’t corner anything meaner than you.
11. It don’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.
12. You can’t unsay a cruel thing.
13. Every path as some puddles.
14. The best sermons are lived, not preached.
15. Happiness comes through doors you didn’t even know you left open.
16. Most of the stuff people worry about never happens.

I’m sure that you could add many, many more “One Second Wisdoms” to the list.  Feel free to log in and add yours in the comments.