When Bridgette Waller opened her Mail Boxes, Etc. (MBE) franchise here 14 years ago, she was so successful that the company made her the star of a television commercial complete with a tagline, “Can your mailbox do that?”
Waller’s first years as a Mail Boxes Etc. franchisee were so profitable that she won numerous company awards and was even featured in an article in Black Enterprise Magazine. But when UPS (NYSE: UPS - News) bought Mail Boxes Etc. in 2001, the financial bubble burst for Waller. The sales and profits for her once successful store were never to return, as UPS abandoned the profitable MBE franchise brand.
“At first UPS promised us that a new business model would realize improved sales and profits for everyone,” said Waller. “But it soon became clear to all of us that the only ones in this new relationship to make money would be UPS.”
The years following the acquisition by UPS continued to be difficult financial ones for Waller.
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