I am a startup company. We were told UPS was the most economical and reliable shipping option for us. I received a customer order yesterday for a shipment of our products from Madison, WI to a residence in metro Fargo, ND. We package the order, which is a perishable food item, in a 14"x14"x14" shipping box from Uline. Inside the box is a cold product shipping liner, 28 pounds of solidly frozen meat and 2 solidly frozen ice packs. Shipping label was created and dropped at a UPS store in madison wi today (4/2/25) at 2:35 pm. I paid for 2nd Day Air as for the shipping option. This is Wednesday. Imagine my surprise when I received the tracking information for this product showing it will be delivered MONDAY APRIL 7 2025. I am now approaching my 3rd hour of being on hold/speaking with customer "service" for UPS. I am told 2nd day air means DAY 1 is the first full day UPS Has the package (Thursday April 3 2025) AND Day 2 (2nd day air) would be Friday April 4 2025. Because Saturday is not a business day our 2nd day air delivery will be delivered on MONDAY April 7 2025.
I get that Saturday the business does not operate but isn't DAY 2 Friday? So what is REALLY MEANT with the 2nd day air offering is 3 BUSINESS DAY AIR doesn't it?
What am I missing?
I shipped a 2-Day Air package on Wednesday to arrive in time for Mother's Day, and now it's delayed until Monday. In looking at the tracking, it's clear that the package was not sent via air, despite what I chose (Seattle to San Jose. It has literally made every pit stop between here and there over the last three days).
Is this common? Am I naive to think that if I choose and pay for air service that's what I should receive?
(The following isn't just a mild rant, but an example of all the pitfalls involved in UPS-related purchases that don't initiate on a Monday or Tuesday!)
... So Let's say that on Wednesday you negotiate with a company to buy something. It will usually take them until the next day to drop it off to UPS or for UPS to grab it (Thursday) and enter it into their system (This is an East Coast to West Coast example; Roanoke, VA where this particular distributor (even though the purchase was made from Utah) has an outlet, which you have to believe is near a flight to take it out of there..... and heading into Silicon Valley (San Jose Area)). So you now have a record that at 9 PM on Thursday, UPS sends you out a message that the delivery phase has started and grabbing of the package has ended.
So now you wait, getting a number of messages, saying the package finally made it to Sacramento (I presume the end of the "flying" phase because it's the second night of flying, but maybe not and one more hop to good, ole San Jose!). Nonetheless, your package arrives at 7 AM on Saturday for San Jose processing (at a location that isn't open on Saturdays, so forget about redirecting or picking it up, for all practical purposes) ... By the way, Saturday was considered a "Business Day" when I searched other people's experience, but it may not be, anymore ... Also note that apparently there is a check box when the seller orders the Second Day Service, to allow for Saturday Delivery, so refuse to make the Wednesday purchase with the buyer unless they check the box (if you really need the residential item/package)! They may get charged more for allowing it, but you saved them the embarrassment that they lied to you when your package will really arrive!
Let's summarize ... UPS processes your package on 3 business days, T-F-S (if indeed Saturday is still considered a business day to them) and your package is going to sit in their destination facility starting from 7AM Saturday, to be delivered sometime (possibly) Monday Afternoon, or 5 days. Why does it sit there on Saturday when UPS delivers to residential customers on Saturday? Most likely, the UPS Truck Delivery Person loaded up their truck at <=6 AM, to make their Saturday Deliveries!
How do I know all this to be roughly true? ... I'm here without my package on Saturday (about 2:30 PM local time) and there is no indication that the package is "out for delivery" and the estimate is still Monday Morning/Afternoon. I even caught the person that does the local route in my area on Friday, and asked them about 5 day delivery of second day air service (they handle the route Saturday, too!), with a dumfounded facial expression. I even told them I would like to see the 1lb package on Saturday if possible, knowing this would be the fate/outcome.
... If it really arrives Saturday, I will modify/append this post. Did I end up really needing the package on Saturday? No, but I wasn't sure of that until USPS didn't deliver something I really needed more!
... I hope this gives a number of you an idea when you'll receive something UPS Second Day Air! ;)
I've seen a bunch of posts here where people mis-understand "business days", however I'm not really understanding what qualifies as "Days" here. I shipped a package 2nd day air on Wednesday the 8th from central Virginia. It was picked up and accepted on the 8th. It is now the 10th and the package just shipped out of Chicago with estimated arrival Monday the 13th.
Am I wrong to think Thursday should have been day 1 and Friday is Day 2? When I printed the label it explicitly stated it would arrive by Friday the 10th.
From Idaho to Long Island NY? It's 938 pm right now. I just placed an order. Think there's a strong chance it will come by Friday? Or do the 2 business days start the day after shipment? So say it's shipped tomorrow, Thursday, will it come Monday or does the day it's shipped count as a business day.
Someone explain the 2nd Day Air process to me please. Walk me through what a package may experience during this shipping method?
Shipping from Atlanta to Phoenix — temperature is important here, don’t want the package to be too hot for too long. I’ve timed it so it delivers on the coolest day Phoenix has to offer this week.