Christmas Shipping Advice

From: Bradley Ochilien, Director.

Posted: November 23rd, 2014

Merry Christmas to all our customers!
I know it sounds kind of early, but the way time is flying these days, I'm not sure that it's that early. It seems like a few months ago I was sending out a similar e-mail and lo-and-behold, it's that time of the year again!

So what's this year's shopping advice?

 

Every year from October to December our industry faces the same challenges. No matter what plans are put in place some issues may arise, for example:

1. Seasonal shippers book space on the already limited flights, adding to the competition for space. All shippers have significantly increased cargo, and this raises the likelihood of split shipments and delays.

2. The Courier Bond facility at Vigie Airport becomes extremely congested with the increase in shipments, lengthening the time it takes to clear your cargo.

3. Rain. Yes! Every year this poses a huge challenge. As you may know there IS NO SHELTER ON THE RUNWAY. Wet cargo is a very real risk. Of course from Miami we add layers of water-resistant wrap to protect your packages. However if mishandled or left for hours in the torrential rain by the cargo handlers, our precautions would have been in vain.

4. At this time of year all aircraft are operating almost non-stop. It is no surprise that this constant workload results in more-frequent maintenance schedules which also cause delays. The airline industry simply cannot afford to have break-downs in mid-air, so grounded maintenance takes absolute priority.

Please note that as early as August this year there were a couple unscheduled-but-absolutely-necessary aircraft delays which affected the majority of local couriers, including us. The airlines do their best to operate without interruption, but when they discover a potential problem, they view such delays as a necessary inconvenience to ensure safety in the air.

I can go on and on, however we fully intend to meet these challenges head-on and do our utmost to minimize the impact to you should a problem arise.

 

In order for us to live up to our promises, we need your help by first understanding why we are encouraging you to shop early. Most people wait for Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales which typically are advertised towards the end of November. While these sales are quite appealing, I want to assure you after being in this business for decades, it's not always a good idea to wait until then to purchase your Christmas gifts.

Because those sales are happening at the last week of November, the suppliers will still need to ship your purchases to Miami via a super congested network of carriers, many times offering "free shipping" which often translates to the cheapest, slowest carrier. We then need to get it on a plane and clear and deliver, which puts this somewhere in either the first, second or third week of December. While this is not an issue for any other month, December has always proved to be challenging as mentioned above.

That's not to say that we are less committed in December, but owing to the factors listed above, there's a possibility that your Christmas gifts for your loved ones may get delayed if you do not ship early.

 

I'll let you in on a little secret. This year several of the larger suppliers are going to advertise their Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales earlier than the actual dates. Why? They too have realized they don't need to wait until the 99th hour to have a sale when customers like yourself are eager to purchase.

Waiting until the last minute for more price drops often results in a deal-hunter's nightmare - the "Sold Out" sign. What's even worse is the effect of demand-and-supply. That "must-have" toy or device can easily increase in price as the big holiday gets closer, so if you can afford it, please shop early. It will save you a great deal of money and stress.

Another way you can help us get your Christmas presents to you faster is to ensure that your ShopBox address is shown exactly as we gave it to you when placing an order.
Click here for help with websites that alter your shipping address.

When packages arrive without the BSL number, it would show as delivered when you track it, but we would not know whose it is until you send us the tracking number in order to identify it. Also please ensure that the name(s) on your packages are in our system so we can easily identify it when received. Remember, signing up with us is free, so everyone can get their own account.

 

Every year we put a "cut off" date to ensure that if it gets to us in Miami by that date, we can get it to you on time.
This year our date is December 15th 2014.

That means as long as a package is delivered via the following courier services: UPS, DHL, Laser Ship or FedEx then we would have it in Saint Lucia before Christmas. Packages shipped with the United States Postal Service (USPS) as well as Hazmat items (Hazardous Materials) are not covered by this promise.

One final note, since our inception in 2011 we have always closed all Saturdays in January, giving back that time to our highly dedicated staff so that they can spend some time with their families or simply just get a good night's rest. In 2015 we continue that tradition. Regardless of how big of a company we become, our morals remain grounded. Saturday operations resume from February 2015.

From all of us at ShopBox, we wish you and your family a safe, enjoyable and memorable Christmas.