UPS layoffs impact workers at company’s Sandy Springs headquarters

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Sandy Springs-based UPS announced Tuesday that it is planning to cut 12,000 jobs worldwide as it tries to recover from what its CEO called a difficult and disappointing 2023.

Channel 2′s Michael Seiden has learned that the layoffs will impact some workers in metro Atlanta.

Channel 2 Consumer Advisor Clark Howard believes corporate employees who work in metro Atlanta will be the hardest hit.

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“It’s brutal for these employees that are affected,” Howard said. “It’s because retailers would like to make some money, you know, online delivery. And online returns have eaten the profits of retailers, and they are doing a big shift in how they do business with you and me.”

One of those changes he said has to do with online shopping, specifically asking shoppers to make returns at stores.

“So every return that you get you to return the way they want means a package that UPS or FedEx is not sending back to the retailer,” Howard said. “And this is directly impacting both package companies because people are modifying their behavior to save themselves money because the retailer says that’s what we got to do.”

So what will this mean for the consumer going forward?

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“It’s just really a confirmation of how things have changed,” he said. “THIS is the trend. We’re doing more and more in-person, less and less delivery. And that affects us so much in Atlanta, with UPS being based here.”

Howard said that another reason for these layoffs is a lot of people miss the experience of shopping in person and that has caused a reduction in online shopping, which means less of a profit for companies like UPS, Amazon, and FedEx.

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