Shooting to save shipping costs?
Small businesses’ bottom lines are often pinched because they don’t do enough shipping to qualify for carrier discounts and special offers.
A new website, RedRoller.com, lets users compare rates, schedule deliveries and print shipping labels. The site also features an online store for mail supplies.
By using more than one carrier, businesses can save at least 40 percent on shipping costs, company spokeswoman Karen Hopp said. RedRoller.com provides not only pricing but also delivery times, allowing small businesses to decide whether that extra $20 for guaranteed next-day delivery is really worth it.
“Sometimes, cost matters more than what time the package arrives,” Hopp said.
RedRoller.com features comparisons for DHL, the U.S. Postal Service and a few regional carriers. The company is negotiating to add UPS, the world’s largest shipping company, and FedEx to its lineup, Hopp said.
“We like to say we’re the Travelocity of shipping,” she said. “When they first started, the travel sites didn’t have all of the airlines on board. Shipping is a very old and traditional market, so it will take some convincing, I’m sure.”
Chores assigned with no muss, no fuss
Working parents have it tough enough without also having to referee the kids’ arguments about who has to take out the trash, set the table and clean the litter box.
Chorebuster.net assigns household chores to each family member. Users can specify how often chores need to get done and when. Duties are weighted by difficulty to generate fair work schedules that can be dispatched daily or weekly by e-mail or printed on calendars for prominent posting around the house.
The site is free to use – and also could come in handy for managers who regularly must task employees with opening the mail, watering office plants and cleaning out the refrigerator in the break room.
