How The UPS Store owners have provided support to local businesses and residents during the pandemic.
Know you want to be your own boss but not sure what kind of business you want to start? Although it still requires a great deal of research and planning, opening a franchise business can provide a shortcut to ownership. Some of the best franchises to own share similar characteristics such as brand strength, comprehensive training and ongoing guidance, marketing and advertising support and a strong franchisee network. Owning a The UPS Store provides all these advantages and more.
The UPS Store locations are vital to the communities they serve. As an essential business, they have remained open to provide critical services to local businesses and residents during the COVID-19 situation. When all non-essential businesses were ordered to close, many stores received calls from concerned customers. Tom Englund, a franchisee in Henderson, NV said, “I know my boxholders need to receive medicines, along with checks and important mail. We’ve also been there for local business in the area to print up all their CDC information, and we’ve seen a tremendous spike in notary service. These are just some of the services our community needs right now.”
In addition to the many services customers rely on every day, The UPS Store centers across the country have found unique ways to support their communities in the past couple of months amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
Small Business Resources
In recent weeks, small business owners have relied on The UPS Store more than ever to help keep their businesses running.
- Free scanning services were offered by The UPS Store in Victoria, TX to small businesses as they applied for relief loans or assistance.
- The UPS Store in High Point, NC assisted local restaurants by providing 200 free black and white copies of takeout menus to support the surge in to-go services.
Supporting Education
Several The UPS Store locations across the country have helped ease the strain of students learning from home.
- The Williamsburg, VA store printed up to 25 pages for free to assist students with no printer at home.
- Five locations in the Bay County, Florida area teamed up to help students adjust to at-home learning by offering 50 percent off printing services.
- The UPS Store in Lenoir City, TN worked with local schools to print, scan and return student learning packets to support remote learning for the remainder of the school year.
- Over the last three weeks, The UPS Store in San Antonio, TX printed 14,000 learning packets for Charter Schools in the area. Especially valuable to families that lack access to technology, these packets were a vital tool that enabled students to continue learning remotely for the rest of the year.
Boosting Community Morale
The UPS Store franchise owners always play an active role in their communities. During this time, they have found creative ways to spread hope and support frontline workers.
- The UPS Store in Pikeville, KY collaborated with the chairman of the Pikeville Independent Board of Education to lift spirits by placing signs with encouraging messages throughout the community.
- The Richmond, IN location printed and donated 50 double-sided 18” x 24” signs to celebrate and recognize hospital workers and first responders at Reid Health Hospital. The signs were displayed throughout the Richmond community. The store also printed signs to celebrate local seniors missing out on graduation ceremonies with the hashtag #Honk4Seniors.
- The UPS Store in Summit, NJ printed lawn signs for a local fundraiser to support healthcare and medical workers. The signs spread positive messages in the community and were sold to raise money for necessary medical equipment.
- When other local print shops couldn’t execute, The UPS Store in Baton Rouge, LA stepped up and worked through the early morning hours to deliver the first batch of waterproof posters to be hung inside temporary hospital rooms being erected inside Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. The project included a total of 1,000 16” x 20” inspirational posters for patient rooms.
- To celebrate Easter, The UPS Store in Victoria, TX hosted a virtual Easter egg coloring contest. Community members were encouraged to color a template and share their masterpiece on social media. Three winners were selected to receive an Easter basket and gift card.
Assisting Residents
Two locations offered free services to support residents of their community affected by the massive layoffs caused by the pandemic, while another offered special services for seniors.
- The UPS Store in Mason, OH offered free faxing services for customers as they filed unemployment claims.
- Workers who lost their jobs and did not have the necessary equipment at home to file online for benefits took advantage of free computer time offered by the Grand Forks, ND location.
- Drive-thru services were offered by The UPS Store in Victoria, TX for customers age 60 and older.
Shipping and Donations
Some The UPS Store locations have used one of the services they do best to get much needed protective equipment into the hands of healthcare workers.
- An anonymous donor shipped 120 UPS Next Day Air® boxes filled with face masks to doctors and hospitals in multiple domestic and international destinations. The same donor plans to ship an additional 50 packages.
- When COVID-19 initially struck Moses Lake, WA the franchise owner in that area printed 20 large banners and gave them to local restaurants for free to help them promote their to-go orders. The store has also shipped approximately 150 packages containing masks across the country at no cost.
- Neighbors throughout the Marion, IL community teamed up to help local medical facilities with face shield shortages. To support the cause, The UPS Store donated enough supplies to make 750 face shields.
Notary Services for Newlyweds
The UPS Store offered notary services to attest to the proper execution of important documents, making life easier, even amidst a global health crisis.
- Rather than wait until after the pandemic subsided, a Birmingham couple decided to make it official by getting their marriage documents notarized at The UPS Store in Crestline Village.
- Another couple made their nuptials official at a The UPS Store location in Panama City, FL.
- A couple out of South Portland, Maine, leveraged local The UPS Store notary services for their virtual wedding. Since city hall was closed, they downloaded a marriage license from the city’s website, and had it notarized at The UPS Store.
If you want to achieve your dreams of business ownership while making a positive impact in your community, consider owning a The UPS Store. We have many franchise opportunities available in markets across the country. To learn more about existing The UPS Store locations for sale or open markets ready for development, reach out to our franchise development team.
