“Greyhound’s still delivering packages!” exclaimed a surprised Ann Arbor woman when told that a box was waiting for her at the downtown bus station. Like many people, she’d figured that FedEx had made bus shipments obsolete–but her ninety-year-old friend in Benton Harbor, whose package contained chocolate chip cookies, knew better. On a fall day, about a dozen boxes, plus a duffel bag with a Santa Rosa, CA, return address, were stacked in the lobby. The cheerful guy behind the security window explained that U-M students would be down shortly to retrieve them.
The Ann Arbor depot lost one regular outgoing shipment, corneal tissue packed in ice, a few years ago, when the Kellogg Eye Center switched to planes. But they’ve picked up new business from eBay sellers, who favor it for large items like chairs or tires. “We have the cheapest same-day delivery in Michigan,” insists the Ann Arbor attendant. FedEx does give you the convenience of home delivery. But, as the ninety-year-old baker sniffs, “I’ve always sent things by Greyhound.”
