Ground, FedEx Express, Home Delivery, Freight?
They are all different companies, and Ground is not corporate owned, they are similar to a franchisee. Ground does not have the stringent rules and regs that FedEx Express employees work under.
My husband works for Fed Ex Express. I have not consulted him about this post and he's the math whiz in the fam, so my info and numbers are not exact. The corporation changed procedures to limit contact with customers. Station rules have been adjusted. Power pad signature rules changed, even in strict signature required situations. His station did hand out hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes as much as was possible...but all the asshats who have been hoarding have limited the ability to procure supplies, even for large companies.They have always had gloves, but they are not disposable. It would be ridiculous for them to use disposable gloves since to properly use them, they would have to change gloves every time they touched a package or their power pad, or anything else. My husband does about 80 to 100 stops per day, even now when many businesses are closed. So he would go through 160 to 200 pairs of gloves every day at the very least, because they're touching every package ar least two times, usually three if you count when they load their trucks in the morning. Here's an excercise in the math. Multiply 160 by 20 to 30 couriers in one station. Then multiply that by another 15 handlers and support personnel in one station. Then multiply that by let's say 200 or 250 to account for all the stations across the US, and air ramps, and the hubs where packages flow to be routed around the country. I'm using a number based on a station that is not in a large city, so it's probably a little under the actual. The per day number of disposable gloves that Fed Ex alone would need would leave none for anyone else. To add in UPS, multiply by say 2.5 or 3 times because UPS handles more packages.
Those gloves need to be going to hospitals, and nursing homes, and other caregivers.
You can help by doing what you're doing, and by being a decent human to your courier. Maintain your distancing protocols, bc your courier may be one who had a delivery to a hospital or other care facility, and as little as they want to, their job requires them to be out there on the front lines. They're not just out there delivering your new cell phone or Chewy.com order, they deliver critical supplies, and they also deliver meds to shut ins, to chemo patients and others in need that are totally separate from but also very vulnerable to this virus. You can help them not spread this around.
Another way you can help your local courier, now and in the future, is to make sure your address is prominently displayed using large numbers in an easy to read color that is in sharp contrast to the background they are mounted against. You would not believe how many people don't follow that simple rule, people you would expect to know better. It's also helpful to the emergency services personnel you might need to save your life someday.
I have several things about my husband's company that tick me (and him) off, but disposable gloves is not one of them.
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