Well, it *isn't* easy, I can tell you that. In fact, it's one of the hardest parts of this job/business because it has absolutely NOTHING to do with rocketry...
I use to make a point of going to the post office every day, as needed, to ship orders. I have become so busy that I can no longer do that. Right now, Mondays and Wednesdays (and occational sat/sun) are reserved for kitting kits, accessories and parts, so nothing ships on those days (for the most part). When you ship a lot of orders, that means that your inventory gets low quick and you have to replenish frequently...
So I plan my shipping on Tue, Thur & Fri. If I have a large number of orders, I will occationally write up the letters and address lables the night before and get them packaged up early am for delivery to the P.O in the afternoon.
If I'm really swamped, I leave the letters and such with Kathy and Jen for them to pack up. (it's a real family thing
)
And, yes, I do stand in line with up to 50 packages... They all know me up there. After shipping everything, they all say "see you tomorrow"
You should see it when I have 30+ packages and 5 of them are retailer orders... oh man! LOL Not to mention the numerous international orders and all the custom forms and such. It is an interesting logistical problem, that's for sure.
About a week ago I was told that the Post Master General wanted to see me... ...I didn't know *what* was up. Turns out she just wanted to meet me because I push a **lot** of packages over her counter (probably well over $10,000 in postage this year)
I now have a pitney bows setup, though I haven't hooked it up yet. This will allow me to meter my own packages and arrange pickup with my carrier to save time.
And, yes, i have lost sleep worrying about a package or order that I feel I didn't satisfy in a timely manner. I have set very high standards for our company and am proud to say that more than 2 years later I haven't waivered on them at all.
well, that's the short version anyway
Hope it helps answer your question...
jim
