Hours of operation for the holiday weekend

About five years ago, we made an executive decision to close the store two 3-day weekends per year: Labor Day and Memorial Day. Pak Mail will be closed Labor Day weekend, September 2, 3, and 4, and will be back to normal business hours on Tuesday, September 5. All carriers — UPS, FedEx, DHL, USPS, and freight — are closed on Monday, September 4.

From our family to yours… have a safe and rejuvenating weekend!

Pak Labor Day Weekend Holiday Hours

UPS, FedEx, DHL, & USPS are closed July 4

Pak Mail’s Holiday Schedule

Saturday, July 1 — Open 9 to 3

Monday,  July 3 — Open 9 to 6

Tuesday,  July 4 — CLOSED

Normal hours the rest of the week.

Enjoy a safe holiday!

Pak Mail Independence Day Holiday Hours

Pak Mail – 4419 Centennial Blvd

Pak Mail, 4419 Centennial Blvd, will be closed Memorial Day weekend.

Saturday, May 27       Closed
Sunday, May 28         Closed
Monday, May 29        Closed     UPS, FedEx, DHL, and USPS are all closed.

Memorial Day: a day on which those who died in active military service are remembered.

Thank you!

The Centennial Boulevard reconstruction project is underway. Pak Mail, at 4419 Centennial Blvd, is open for business during the roadwork. Two entrances to the West Wind shopping center remain open:

1. Garden of the Gods by Starbucks
   

   Pak Mail – 4419 Centennial Blvd

2. Centennial Blvd traffic light entrance by the ARC donation center

Click here for more information about the Centennial Boulevard project.

Pak Mail is open for business! See you in the store.

Colorado College Student Shipping on a Pallet

Shipping a student from Colorado Springs

Student shipping from Colorado College or UCCS  – home for summer break, to a new college for extended classes, or abroad for intensive studies – is easy with the right help. It’s a small move of the accumulated stuff after a year in a dorm room or small apartment.

Make the necessary shipping arrangements before final exams and clear the plate for studying, final projects, and, of course, socializing. Start the process by organizing. Ask some questions.

• What can be recycled? Organizations like Discover Goodwill of Southern and Western Colorado thrive on donations of gently used clothing, household goods, furniture, and electronics. Old cell phones can be donated to Cell Phones for Soldiers.
• What can be discarded? Get rid of the items that are no longer useful and cannot be donated or re-purposed.
• What is absolutely needed for the final few weeks at school? This is anything that can be safely packed in a suitcase. Everything else can be shipped ahead. Pak Mail can also pick up, pack, and store all of the non-essential items, and ship them when the final boxes are ready.
• What items require special packing? It’s a definite no-no to pack electronics in the middle of clothing. Leave those items for the professionals.

There are several ways to ship a student… their stuff, that is. If there are three or four boxes, UPS or FedEx (DHL for international) is probably the best option. If there are more boxes and a myriad of sports equipment, shipping them all together on a pallet with an LTL truck carrier is more cost effective. US Air Force Academy foot lockers are best shipped on a pallet.

Get an estimate, arrange for pickup and shipping, and get on with studying.

Grateful for Packing and Shipping

Last year provided quite a ride and lots of reasons to be grateful.

• My four siblings and I transitioned our elderly parents from their home to assisted living. Both Mom and Dad are still enjoying each other’s company after 64 years of marriage.
• 

  Senior downsizing done with love.

  The box truck we acquired in Spring 2015 blew its engine within the first month. Our mechanic replaced the engine and had it running like new in no time. The lift gate makes the large freight jobs easy!

• New paint and furnishings freshened up the retail area of our store. Customers provide lots of fun comments and kudos.
• Our Pak Mail franchise is now part of a larger franchise — Annex Brands.
• Pak Mail 232 has been in the same location since 1996! We will celebrate nine years of ownership at the end of February 2017.

Thank you to our customers! Some customers have been with us “forever,” some joined us recently, and some are yet to require our services. Whether it’s a private mailbox and a safe place to receive packages, notary services, a small gift shipping to Aunt Millie, documents shipping overnight, a custom box with protective packaging, or a large shipment requiring a pallet, rely on Pak Mail.

Thank you!

Pak Mail offers shipping with FedEx, UPS, DHL, USPS postal, and large freight carriers.

Lift gate is used for large freight and estate pickups.

Pak Mail private mailbox offers safe and secure package receiving.

A small move shipment ready for pickup by freight carrier.

Jim with Yoda

A breakfast networking meeting with folks from the Manitou Springs Chamber of Commerce was the beginning of a delightful day. Upon my return home, my husband Jim invited me to stay home for the day. Perfect!

First on the agenda was clearing my mind. A brisk two-mile walk and then fiber spinning did the trick. Spinning tends to empty my mind of clutter and focus it on a specific task. Today the rhythm of the wheel and the creation of yarn from fluff – llama, wool, and mohair – pushed me to look around at the collections acquired throughout a 40-plus-year-and-counting marriage. Then I started thinking about some of the treasures we ship for our customers – assortments of sentimental photos, stamps, coins, antique dolls, porcelain figurines, and a high-value Star Wars® prop.

This reverie brought to mind packing and shipping collectibles in our Pak Mail store. Books, photos, letters, and other non-fragile items may only need protection with acid-proof paper or simple poly bags. Kachina dolls are packed with lots of packing peanuts and then double boxed. Lladro® or Hummel® figurines and pottery are wrapped in bubble wrap, floated in peanuts, and boxed or double boxed, depending on the value and/or sentimentality. Intricate and very fragile porcelain pieces are floated in mini-peanuts surrounded with bubble wrap and then floated in standard packing peanuts and double boxed. High-value collectibles like Yoda are secured in custom crates.

The shipping method is based on package size and weight, fragility of the item, total number of boxes, value, and destination. Smaller items ship with UPS, FedEx, US Priority Mail, or DHL (international only).

Simpich Doll Collection

Larger items or larger quantities of boxes ship with various freight carriers. The small move of household goods that included Yoda was shipped to Hawaii via ocean freight.

It was nice to have a day to reflect and create, and see how it all ties together. See you in the store.

The Christmas season is upon us. Where did the year go? Pak Mail offers secure packing services and shipping — UPS, FedEx, DHL, USPS. You do the shopping and gift wrapping… we’ll do the rest! We’ll help you choose the most cost-effective method to ensure your Christmas holiday gifts arrive safely and on time.

Quick tips for shipping holiday gifts:

• Keep all receipts for gifts purchased.
• Come prepared. Information includes:
  • Ship-to name, address, & phone number;
  • Contents of the package being shipped;
  • Which items are fragile;
  • Value of the item(s) being shipped; and
  • When you would like the package to arrive.
• Ship early in the season.
• Perfume, wine, and liquor cannot be shipped.
• International & APO shipments require an itemized contents list for customs.
• Shipping guarantees can be interrupted by inclement weather, so ship as early as possible to allow for possible delays.
• There are no deliveries on Christmas Day.

Shipping holiday gifts is simple and easy at Pak Mail!

Packed Boxes Ready for Pallet

This is not about “motivating” a student. That’s a separate topic. This is about how to move a student from Colorado College or UCCS home for summer break, a new college for extended classes, or abroad for intensive studies. It’s about shipping the accumulated stuff after a year in a dorm room or small apartment – a small move.

Students have a full plate at the end of a semester, particularly at the end of the school year. Making the necessary shipping arrangements to move a student before final exams checks one thing off the list and clears the plate for studying, final projects, and, of course, socializing.

Start the process by organizing. Ask some questions.

• What can be recycled? Organizations like Discover Goodwill of Southern and Western Colorado thrive on donations of gently used clothing, household goods, furniture, and electronics. Old cell phones can be donated to Cell Phones for Soldiers.
• What can be sold? Books can be sold on Amazon or on campus. Savvy students sell electronics and other items online. Get a shipping estimate for larger items before posting them for sale.
• What can be discarded? Get rid of the items that have outlived their usefulness and cannot be donated or repurposed.
• What is absolutely needed for the final few weeks at school? This is anything that can be safely packed in a suitcase. Everything else can be shipped ahead. Pak Mail can also pick up, pack, and store all of the non-essential items, and ship them when the final boxes are ready.
• What items require special packing? It’s a definite no-no to pack electronics in the middle of clothing. Leave those items for the professionals.

There are several ways to ship a student… their stuff, that is. If there are three or four boxes, UPS or FedEx (DHL for international) is probably the best option. If there are more boxes and a myriad of sports equipment, shipping them all together on a pallet with an LTL truck carrier is more cost effective. US Air Force Academy foot lockers are best shipped on a pallet.

Get an estimate, arrange for pickup and shipping, and get on with studying.

Pak Mail 232 signed the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) contract for US Air Force Academy cadet package receiving services on June 1. Our immediate goal was to improve the level of service for our customers, the cadets. The changes and improvements have been tremendous in the last eight-plus weeks. Our cadets have noticed and are providing us with lots of positive feedback.

Highlights of our service enhancements are:

• automation and complete electronic tracking of all incoming and outgoing packages (UPS, FedEx, DHL, OnTrac)
• email notification of package receipt
• storage modifications in package area
• customer friendly extended hours

Out of all of these enhancements, the cadets are most excited about receiving email notifications when packages arrive for them. Knowing that our cadets and future leaders maintain hectic schedules, this service implementation is a priority for us. Cadets no longer have to wait in line wondering if they have packages.

As we “march” through the school calendar, we will be looking for more opportunities to provide the level of service that the Academy exemplifies. Pak Mail is an authorized shipper for UPS, FedEx, and DHL, and brings these services and appropriate packaging techniques to the Academy as well.

On a personal note… a special thanks to Lorrie for your invaluable input and dedication to excellence. We could not have accomplished these changes without you!

Chris