Serving the High Plains

UPS center's closing leaves a distant alternative

Tucumcari’s UPS Customer Center closed a few weeks ago — right before residents would begin to ship packages for the holidays — with no nearby alternate from the company.

A poster affixed to the UPS facility’s front door at 524 E. Tucumcari Blvd. stated the UPS Customer Center there was permanently closed effective Oct. 31.

UPS package deliveries are continuing as normal in the region.

The poster stated nearby locations servicing UPS packages could be found at ups.com/dropoff. However, the website could not find a drop-off location for anyone living in Tucumcari. The nearest UPS Customer Center in an online search was in Clovis — more than 80 miles away.

The poster stated pre-packaged and pre-labeled packages could be inserted to a nearby UPS drop box. UPS’ website could not find a location in Tucumcari for those, either. The site, however, stated a UPS driver could accept such packages.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tucumcari UPS Customer Center’s hours had been reduced to 90 minutes a day in the late afternoons.

Emails to UPS’ corporate office and media relations center went unanswered. A UPS manager in Clovis contacted by phone declined to comment.

According to the Valley Courier in Alamosa, Colorado, a UPS Customer Center in Alamosa also closed on Oct. 31.

A UPS media relations representative told the newspaper it closed the center “due to a change in how our customers use our services. Because of advancements in our online web options, customers can easily print labels at home and utilize UPS Access Points.”