NEW YORK (AP) -- Package delivery giant United Parcel Service Inc. is adding 1,500 pickup and drop-off locations at local businesses primarily located in rural cities and towns across the U.S by year-end.
The program is through its Access Point program, where UPS pays local merchants a small fee to act as a package pickup location.
The move will increase those locations to more than 22,000 this year.
The initiative, announced Wednesday, is part of an overall strategy by UPS to respond to the growth of online shopping and pressures for speedy delivery and returns, particularly in areas that are underserved in the e-commerce era.
