Global delivery company DHL announced Monday that it was cutting 9,500 jobs as it discontinues air and ground operations within the United States.
DHL said its DHL Express will continue to operate between the United States and other nations. But the company said it was dropping "domestic-only" air and ground services within the United States by Jan. 30 "to minimize future uncertainties."
Looks like Think Geek will have to find a new shipping agent.
And here's info I (and I figure most of you) didn't know...
DHL is owned by the German company Deutsche Post World Net.
Oddly enough, I picked out the title before I knew that...
Last edited by Isgrimnur on Mon Nov 10, 2008 12:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.”
Bertrand Russell
The company that owns the restaurant I manage had us on DHL for about a year to send our Monday package of invoices/charge vouchers/daily sales and reports to our corporate accounting office, but we switched back to FedEx in August. A DHL manager and then regional manager called us numerous times begging us not to switch. Guess the joke's on them. It speaks to the Dunder-Mifflin quality of DHL's services that they were calling us (usually in the middle of a lunch or dinner shift), because we have no say in such matters and not the corporate account holder at our company HQ.
Sad for the folks who lost jobs over this, at any rate.
"It's my manner, sir. It looks insubordinate, but it isn't, really."
triggercut wrote:Sad for the folks who lost jobs over this, at any rate.
Fed Ex and UPS may be hiring soon...
DHL's U.S. pullback should help competitors FedEx Corp and UPS Inc., said Donald Broughton, analyst for Avondale Partners.
"Obviously, it's good news for FedEx and UPS, because this puts the 3-4% market share that DHL had [for domestic ground and air shipping within the U.S.] up for grabs," said Broughton. "Makes it a jump ball, if you will."
I can't say I'm sad to seem them go. I've never seen anything more horrible then their "service". 3 weeks to mail a tv from NYC to NJ... And then when they show up they had no handtruck to take it off the truck! Which of course made me beg the question how did you get it into the truck? Oh I rolled it.. Thanks it's only a 1,200 dollar tv set that you rolled into the truck. Asshats!
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On a side note, I can't seem to locate the beer commercial that inspired the title about how Germans don't do relaxation. "Begin relaxation ... NOW!" Can anyone find that and link it for me? I thought it was a Beck's commercial, but I could be wrong.
Isgrimnur wrote:On a side note, I can't seem to locate the beer commercial that inspired the title about how Germans don't do relaxation. "Begin relaxation ... NOW!" Can anyone find that and link it for me? I thought it was a Beck's commercial, but I could be wrong.
It's "Commence relaxation ... NOW!" And it is Beck's. Still can't find the video.
Ordinarily more competition is a good thing in the service industries, but DHL never had what it takes to threaten UPS, FedEx or USPS. Some shippers will miss their discount rates -- you need to generate higher volume to get sweetheart package pricing from UPS or the USPS -- but I doubt that many consumers will be sorry to see them go.
I am someone who had horrid luck with DHL, but I still can't help but feel sorry for Wilmington, OH. 8000 jobs in town that size is significant.
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triggercut wrote:Sad for the folks who lost jobs over this, at any rate.
I think they have the corporate headquarters in my town about a mile from my house. They have 2 massive buildings with DHL on them.
Personally I have hated DHL since they couldn't find my house when I had time sensitive tax documents coming to me and delivered them a week late. I told them I would walk over to their headquarters and pick them up.
My cousin who is probably off right now due to just having a baby girl works for DHL as an account manager, this would be a horrible time to lose his job. I need to call him up and see if he is ok.
It's sad because thousands of people will lose their jobs because of bad management.
“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.”
Bertrand Russell
DHL was unable to get the market share that leads to better infrastructure in the US. They have excellent service in and to Europe.
The one time I got anything shipped via DHL was my plasma TV about 5 years ago. No problems. They even called within an hour of arrival to ensure someone was available to take delivery. Which there wasn't so they re-routed to my office.
" Hey OP, listen to my advice alright." -Tha General "No scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer." -Stigler's Law of Eponymy, discovered by Robert K. Merton MYT
We did a case on DHL in business school. Catering to the "if it absolutely, positively DOESN'T need to be there overnight" market was their model, and it worked out pretty well for them. Until now, I guess.
My father was a pilot for Airborne (DHL) and was based out of their hub in Wilmington, OH before retiring as a Captain in 2006. He didn't want to stop flying, but retirement age for pilots is something that really can't be ignored.
Teggy wrote:We did a case on DHL in business school. Catering to the "if it absolutely, positively DOESN'T need to be there overnight" market was their model, and it worked out pretty well for them. Until now, I guess.
LOL. I ordered a dry iced food item that was supposed to be next day aired. The place used DHL, it took 4 business days to get here.
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lch wrote:It's even more than 9,500 people, I read that it was 14,900 people in my newspaper yesterday.
I'm not sure, but I think the 15K figure includes cuts that were previously made/announced.
I work for FedEx, and on my staff meeting today we were told that it is 15,000 new job cuts, on top of the prior cuts. Who knows if my boss is correct or not, but FedEx obviously would try to stay on top of this.
You can't even tell me you'd be this tightly wound if you were receiving Treasure Type O regularly. - OOTS Strip 408
So that fatcat corporate types in my town probably wont get affected. They have many other types of business. This is just the domestic delivery section.
A woman here just informed me that this is tragic becasue DHL drivers were the hottest and had the best shorts.
" Hey OP, listen to my advice alright." -Tha General "No scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer." -Stigler's Law of Eponymy, discovered by Robert K. Merton MYT
Except for their expedited services, most of DHL's package delivery consisted of drop-shipping packages to the post office. We always had a skid or two every week. That type of business with probably just go back to the USPS.
I was talking to one of the UPS drivers and he told me that we might be picking up some drop-ships from them. Volume is down, industry-wide, and is too expensive for Brown to drive around a residential neighborhood dropping off a shirt and a box of checks.
The overtime whores are suffering because they have to budget for a change.
Default wrote:Except for their expedited services, most of DHL's package delivery consisted of drop-shipping packages to the post office. We always had a skid or two every week. That type of business with probably just go back to the USPS.
I was talking to one of the UPS drivers and he told me that we might be picking up some drop-ships from them. Volume is down, industry-wide, and is too expensive for Brown to drive around a residential neighborhood dropping off a shirt and a box of checks.
The overtime whores are suffering because they have to budget for a change.
FedEx Smartpost is picking up a good bit of the dropship to USPS business. We just picked up a huge deal from Amazon that is going to nearly double our non peak daily volume.
You can't even tell me you'd be this tightly wound if you were receiving Treasure Type O regularly. - OOTS Strip 408
