How to Open a
Mail & Parcel Center Store

LEARN HOW TO OPEN A RETAIL PACKING AND SHIPPING STORE

Tips and answers to commonly asked questions from packing and shipping store veterans and consultants on how or whether to open a packing and shipping store.

• Should you be independent or go with a packaging store franchise?
• How do you select a good location, and what are tips for lease negotiations?
• What is an average profit?
• What are the different pricing strategies?
• What box sizes should you buy?
• What other products and services should you sell, and how do you implement these?
• What do you need to know about insurance?
• What should you expect when you open more than one store?
• What can you expect personally from being in this business?

These and more questions answered. See the following description, two tables of contents, files, and notes:

• Description
• Material Overview
• Tables of Contents

• BASIC PACKAGING & SHIPPING
• PACKING FRAGILE ITEMS
• CUSTOM BOX MAKING
• CRATE BUILDING
• CRATING & BOX MAKING SOFTWARE
• GIFT WRAPPING
• MAIL BOX RENTING
• PACKING & SHIPPING STORES OPERATIONS MANUAL
• SALES & MARKETING
• EMPLOYEE MANUAL
• SUPPLEMENTAL PROFIT CENTERS
• HOLIDAY PLANNING

• FREE STORE SIGNS
• ARTICLES
• INDUSTRY LINKS

• CONTACT VAN
• COMPANY PROFILE
• SITE MAP

DESCRIPTION

After building a chain of six packing and shipping stores, being in business for twenty-one years, in addition to nine years of consulting and assisting others to open and build mail and parcel centers, we decided to write this book. Many of the questions that our clients ask are the same, so we answered these questions, as well as including other information that we know is important when opening a pack and ship store. We want to make the information to common questions inexpensive to access. Packing and shipping consulting costs can range from $65 to $250 an hour, not to mention travel expenses. This book gives you at least eighty hours of basic consulting questions answered for implementing a packing and shipping store operation.

Initially, the Packaging & Shipping Stores' Operations Manual was intended as part of How to Open a Mail & Parcel Center, but our customers who already had been in in the packing and shipping stores business for many years only wanted to have the operational section of this book after it was written. Therefore, we split this product into two sections, and this product is a set of books. We decided that we wouldn't sell this manual without the Operations Manual, since that would defeat the purpose of helping you to make an informed decision.

One of the major benefits of this book is that it comes with many forms and files that you can use in MS (Microsoft) Word and MS Excel. For example, we actually do the major part of a business plan in the book to give you ideas on the thought processes that take place. You can use the Excel spreadsheet to "plug in" numbers for various assets and costs as we give you suggestions on how to get these numbers. The spreadsheet will update to an income statement for you so that you can see what it may cost to open your business and start your business.

How to Open a Mail & Parcel Center Package is not intended to replace the benefits of hiring a professional consultant or developer to work with you one-on-one, or to replace the benefits that you may derive from being involved with a franchise. For example, this manual can not actually do your store layout, do part of your store build-out (putting up slotwall, laying carpet and tile, etc.), train you one-on-one, actually do the work and research that we discuss in this book, or be available to you for questions and assistance after you open. However, this book does discuss all of these issues.

In essence, this book is written to help you make educated decisions about your business future and to help you to learn about the major issues associated with opening your own store. Continue reading for issues covered in this product, in addition to viewing Material Overview, Tables of Contents, and files included with this product.

• Should you go with a franchise or be an independent?
• What does it takes in this industry (personally and financially)
• How absent should an owner be in this industry?
• How do I determine what is or is not a good site for my store?
• How do I do a business plan?
• Give me some tips on my store layout design.
• Tell me about vendors.
• What are the issues of which I should be aware when buying an existing store?
• What is the overview on different types of products and services (30+) that can relate to this industry? For example, what is the average profit margin, and how do I implement these?
• What are the different pricing strategies?
• What are some standard box sizes that will fit most needs?
• What do I need to know about insurance?
• Tell me about assets and what I need to consider.
• What do I need to know about tools?
• What are the operational issues with this type of business, and how do I learn more about basic operations of a business? I realize that this is major topic is in the Operations Manual included in this package. (Please view table of contents below).

TABLES OF CONTENTS
Click on the links below to see the Tables of Contents and a list of files included on the CD ROMS included with this product. The information below is in Adobe Acrobat format. If you don't have this reader, visit http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.

Table of Contents - How to Open a Mail and Parcel Center

Table of Contents - Operations for Packing and Shipping Stores included with this Package

List of CD ROM Files

Check our Package Specials to review our New Store Operator Package.

Note that many operational manuals for this industry mostly include information on the freight carriers. Since packaging, shipping, and carrier information is in the manual that comes with Basic Packaging & Shipping 101, we did not duplicate it in this product.

$195