By CARA LORELLO
Staff Reporter
It opened in December before the big storms hit, but only more recently have West Plains shoppers begun to notice the familiar UPS Store logo outside a near-empty commercial complex that sits next door to Wal-Mart.
Yes, United Parcel Service now has an outlet store in the West Plains that's open for business.
The store is owned and run by Airway Heights resident Dennis Haider, who, along with brother Dave, is currently managing three UPS Stores between Airway Heights and Spokane Valley.
UPS is a100-plus year old company that originated in Washington state and started out, according to Haider, with “ two guys, and one bike.” Each UPS Store is independently owned and operated by licensed franchisees of Mail Boxes Etc., Inc. (MBE), with UPS as its subsidiary.
That basically means individual storeowners are in control of what their stores sell, their operating hours, and store hiring policies. It's not the way every big franchise does business, Haider explained.
“It's unlike a McDonalds, for example, where you go in one and they all appear the same. There's more give and take when you're an independent franchise,” he said.
Store staff still get to wear the company logo, which, Haider said, is one of the most recognizable business logos in America, second only to Coco Cola. Both UPS and MBE stores make up the world's largest franchise network for retail shipping, postal and business service centers with more than 5,900 locations worldwide.
As a one-stop shop for shipping, postal and business services, the Haiders said they look forward to serving the local community, and hope to schedule a grand re-opening for their West Plains outlet soon. Owners originally planned opening in January but couldn't due to the snow.
“We didn't start to see a steady flow of business until this January, and we've steadily increased every month since then,” Haider said, who has 30-plus years working in retail, mostly in copy and print. Dave is retired Air Force, where he also worked in shipping and packaging.
UPS Stores are mainly known for services in domestic and international shipping, packaging, packing supplies, mailbox, postal and notary services. Stores also specialize in full-service documentation and print services, such as paper and photograph duplication, and document finishing from binding to lamination.
Document services, Haider said, is “something we're really pushing in our advertising right now, as well as our post office box services.”
UPS Stores also feature a large inventory in both packaging, and office supplies. Think of it as a combination of your standard post office, plus services typically found at print retailers such as Kinko's.
“We are in the business of saving people time, and with shipping prices direct from UPS, we can save them money as well,” Haider said.
When looking for ways to invest their money a few years ago, Haider said he and his brother chose UPS Store, because it's consistently ranked among the nation's top five retailers.
“We figured it was the way to go,” Haider said, who admits there are pros and cons to being a franchise retailer. “It's been a lot of adapting to things we didn't plan for, but it's a fun job that you either love, or hate,” he said.
The UPS Store is located at West Plains Crosspointe Plaza, 10414, Ste. 4, on Highway 2. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The store is closed on Sundays. Call 624-3339, or visit http://www.theupsstore.com/6077.htm.
Cara Lorello can be reached at [email protected]
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