Shipping: A Family Affair

Bob Hoagland, owner of the Crossroads UPS store, has been running a family business since 2001, ably assisted by his daughter and son-in-law, Debra and Michael Barer. It was Debra's glowing reviews of life in Bellevue that prompted Hoagland to move “lock, stock and barrel” from New Jersey to Seattle to become a business owner eight years ago. Hoagland's experience in hotel and restaurant management, coupled with the Barers' in communications and family studies, promise a stellar customer service experience at the store and ensure that their business continues to boom. "We love the Crossroads area. Its diversity and liveliness makes for great business for us," says Hoagland.

This cheerful family knows how to make anyone comfortable from the get go. Walk into the UPS store and Rusty the UPS dog gets in a race with the store managers to greet you! In addition to packing and shipping services, their multilingual team makes the UPS store a popular place to do business in Crossroads.

"There are many reasons to choose our store over the regular post office,” says Hoagland. “We guarantee delivery of your packages and our rates are very competitive. Whether shipping to hard places, like Mexico or South American countries where postal system abuse is widespread, or to far-flung places like India, we deliver packages no matter how great the distance." They use both regular mail and UPS package services. They even make renting a mailbox more convenient, with a street address instead of a PO Box number so packages can be received without hassle. To do their part for the environment, they also recycle old moving supplies.

What is the most interesting thing they've ever seen mailed out of the store? “A rusty old bicycle which cost almost a $1,000 to ship to a museum across the country!” Whether sending a package to a loved one, recycling those packing “peanuts”, or just stopping by to pat Rusty on the head, the UPS store is a gem for everyone in the neighborhood. "We love doing what we do and we love the people we get to know,” say the Barers.