Canada Post Mailing cost, This will save you $$$

[sunnyhappy]

Pretty interesting.....and something to be aware of.


This one should be forwarded to all Canadians, so that everybody knows
about this!


Regarding Canada Post, I learned something over last Christmas that I
feel compelled to share with you. This won't change your life
dramatically or help you survive the apocalypse, but it will save some
$.

I recently mailed two identical packages via Canada Post one week
apart. One would think that the postage should be exactly the same.





Package #1 was mailed from a Canada Post Office. Postage came to
$11.74. Since I knew the second package would be mailed in about a
week's time, I bought sufficient postage for the second package while
I was there.





When it came time to mail Package #2, I went to the post office in
Shopper's Drug Mart. I handed the package to the clerk to be put in
the outbound mail bag, I was informed that I did not have sufficient
postage attached. The clerk proceeded to inform me that I needed to
purchase an additional $6 worth of stamps. After explaining how I knew
exactly what the postage should be, the clerk offered some lame excuse
that Canada Post is unionized and they can say and do anything with
impunity and if I wished to mail that package from Shopper's, then I
needed to purchase more stamps.




I told the clerk to stuff it and took back my package and headed to
the Canada Post Office, where I would raise hell. Much to my surprise,
the Canadian Postal Clerk took my package, weighed it and tossed it in
the mail bag, and it was on its way. When I asked if the amount of
postage on the parcel was right, she shook her head and said, "Yup, no
problem."

A postal outlet is not a federal government agency and is not owned or
managed by Canada Post. For example if the postal outlet is within a
grocery store or pharmacy, it would follow the stores working hours;
therefore, if the store must be closed, so will the postal outlet
inside.




Only Canada Post Depots and Corporate Post Offices are obligated to
follow the price of stamps and postal products that are legislated by
Canada Post. Any commercial and private establishment may charge extra
fees as a convenience to their customers. It is at their discretion to
apply additional service fees to products that they sell. We suggest
visiting a Corporate Post Office in order to avoid paying additional
service charges that corner stores or other establishments may
implement on their products.




The truth comes out:
Canada Post Offices charge postage for packages at the published
Canada Post rates. Franchise locations such as Shoppers Drug Mart can
charge whatever they like, so remember, if you regularly mail packages
at franchise locations (Shoppers Drug Mart, etc.) you are probably
paying too much. Franchise locations are found in shopping malls, drug
stores, and private businesses everywhere. From now on, all of my
mailing will be done from a Canada Post location. Still perplexed by
what I was told by the girl in Shoppers, I fired off an email to
Canada Post for clarification.





This is the reply I got from them:

Thank you for your message to Canada Post.

[Kris81]

I don't really see the problem here. If you are a TD Bank customer, and you use their ATM machines, it's probably cheaper than using an ATM in a grocery store, shoppers drug mart, etc.

[polypep]

How is this a "HOT DEAL" ?

Wrong Forum.

MODS, Please move.

[Kuurgen]

Wonder if this holds true for express post rates...

[InvisibleSoul]

I don't really see the problem here. If you are a TD Bank customer, and you use their ATM machines, it's probably cheaper than using an ATM in a grocery store, shoppers drug mart, etc.

Not if the ATM in the grocery store is a TD Bank machine, which is what it would be in this case.

Those postal outlets inside Shopper's Drug Mart are still fully branded as Canada Post locations.

Wow, if this is true, I did not realize this.

But as a eBay seller, I find there's an even better way to getting cheaper postage for packages... and that is using the built-in eBay label services via Canada Post. They give you discounts off the standard rate, so it was worth it for me to create a fake auction, have my wife win it, and then use that auction to create a shipping label for something else I needed to ship. LoL

[billrush]

Not only is this not a HOT DEAL

but it is a copy of an email that has been floating around for years and the information is not correct

[T3rry]

i really don't understand how shoppers drug mart would benefit from selling you an additional $6 worth of stamps.... what are they gonna get $0.50 from that?

[panagoitss]

http://www.canadapost.ca/cpo/mc/abou...iscrepancy.jsf

Canada Post wishes to alert customers that an email containing misinformation regarding discrepancies in pricing between Canada Post corporate outlets and private postal outlets has resurfaced. It should be known that all 6,000 automated post offices, corporate or dealer, use the same retail point-of-sale system software. This means the system is designed to charge the same rate for the same service and cannot be changed.

if outlets are to sell you more on shipping something, they only benefit on a small amount of profit from the sales

[iamdman]

I had no idea this was the case, thanks OP. But I also have no idea where a Canada Post office is either...

[whazup911]

I don't really see the problem here. If you are a TD Bank customer, and you use their ATM machines, it's probably cheaper than using an ATM in a grocery store, shoppers drug mart, etc.

No the difference is that you "know" it's not a TD ATM machine by just looking at it. The postal stations inside SDM look exactly the same as any other Canada Post Depot and you wouldn't know anything is different otherwise.

[ionic]

only way to really comment is if we knew the dimensions, weight, and postal codes being shipped, as well as service used
I have heard this before, but whenever I have gone to ship from a shoppers postal desk, I usually have already calculated it myself and they are generally within the same range...

but like I said, I've heard this before... the way to complain would be to calculate the cost on your own given the website information, and then asks shopper why they are calculating it differently (if indeed they are...)

[mtlboy]

is this accurate or not?

[aquariaguy]

Is this true? I find it hard to believe Canada Post would do that.

[Kris81]

No the difference is that you "know" it's not a TD ATM machine by just looking at it. The postal stations inside SDM look exactly the same as any other Canada Post Depot and you wouldn't know anything is different otherwise.

Have you ever seen those Royal Bank ATM machines inside an Esso? They have higher service charges than just going into a Royal Bank. Just because you assume it's Canada Post, doesn't mean it is.

[Marc L]

Post #8 has the answer, jut lock/delete this thread already.