A driver with FedEx carries a package away from a van, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020, in Seattle. Store are warning online shoppers that if holiday purchases aren't made soon, they may not be delivered in time for Christmas. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
As the holiday shopping season heated up this month, UPS imposed shipping restrictions on major retailers such as Macy's, Gap, Nike, and L.L. Bean. The move signaled that the crush of holiday e-commerce orders was putting overworked delivery networks to the test.
Competing shipping carrier FedEx, meanwhile, has announced shipping surcharges and the acquisition of ShopRunner, an e-commerce platform and subscription service that offers two-day delivery from select retailers.
As for shipping restrictions, FedEx has not confirmed any specific limits on retailers.
"In some cases, volume has significantly exceeded customer projections," Bonny Harrison, director of global media for FedEx, wrote to Cheddar in an email. "We know how important it is to our customers that their packages are delivered on time, and we remain committed to work with them on ways to leverage our network flexibility."
The shipping carrier has hired 70,000 seasonal workers, moved to seven-day operations, and accelerated Sunday delivery capabilities to keep up with the pandemic-fueled demand.
"We project that peak shipping volumes will be up 22 percent year-over-year and have been preparing for the influx of packages for months in advance of an unprecedented holiday season," Harrison wrote.
In the meantime, FedEx is working with retailers and consumers to help reduce pressure on the delivery network.
The company's Buy Online Pickup in Store (BOPIS) network offers small and medium-sized merchants without a brick-and-mortar storefront a physical location for their customers to pick up online orders.
Harrison noted that the last day to ship through FedEx Ground before Christmas is Tuesday, December 15. She also advised customers to sign up for FedEx Delivery Manager to help them track packages or redirect them to one of 60,000 retail pick-up locations. These are located at retailers such as Walgreens, Dollar General, Kroger, and Albertsons.
In this extraordinary year, she added that consumers might want to be more proactive in finishing up their holiday gift-buying.
"Don’t wait until the last minute to ship your holiday gifts," Harrison wrote.
A rare magnum of Dom Pérignon Vintage 1961 champagne that was specially produced for the 1981 wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana has failed to sell during an auction. Danish auction house Bruun Rasmussen handled the bidding Thursday. The auction's house website lists the bottle as not sold. It was expected to fetch up to around $93,000. It is one of 12 bottles made to celebrate the royal wedding. Little was revealed about the seller. The auction house says the bids did not receive the desired minimum price.
The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again. The news outlet said Wednesday it won't be deterred by Trump's “false and inflammatory language” from writing about the 79-year-old president's health. The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is “starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.” In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do “FAKE” reports about his health and "we should do something about it.” The Republican president already has a pending lawsuit against the newspaper for its past reports on his finances.
OpenAI has appointed Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its first chief of revenue. Dresser will oversee global revenue strategy and help businesses integrate AI into daily operations. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently emphasized improving ChatGPT, which now has over 800 million weekly users. Despite its success, OpenAI faces competition from companies like Google and concerns about profitability. The company earns money from premium ChatGPT subscriptions but hasn't ventured into advertising. Altman had recently announced delays in developing new products like AI agents and a personal assistant.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
U.S. sports betting is booming as NFL and college football fuel massive activity. BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt breaks down trends, growth, and what’s next.
President Donald Trump says a deal struck by Netflix last week to buy Warner Bros. Discovery “could be a problem” because of the size of the combined market share. The Republican president says he will be involved in the decision about whether federal regulators should approve the deal. Trump commented Sunday when he was asked about the deal as he walked the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honors. The $72 billion deal would bring together two of the biggest players in television and film and potentially reshape the entertainment industry.
Disney's changes to a program for disabled visitors are facing challenges in federal court and through a shareholder proposal. The Disability Access Service program, which allows disabled visitors to skip long lines, was overhauled last year. Disney now mostly limits the program to those with developmental disabilities like autism who have difficulty waiting in lines. The changes have sparked criticism from some disability advocates. A shareholder proposal submitted by disability advocates calls for an independent review of Disney's disability policies. Disney plans to block this proposal, claiming it's misleading. It's the latest struggle by Disney to accommodate disabled visitors while stopping past abuses by some theme park guests.
