Alliance Shipping Partner means a real counter
Someone behind the desk can build a box, sell packaging and take a shipment that has not been labeled yet. Treat it like a small UPS Store inside a bigger store.
Retail drop-off
Staples runs two different kinds of UPS counter
Yes, plenty of Staples stores take UPS packages — but which store you walk into decides what actually happens at the counter. UPS store listings, read 2026-08-28, show some Staples locations set up as a staffed UPS Alliance Shipping Partner and others set up as a self-service UPS Access Point, and the two are not the same errand.
Real ups.com listingsTwo counter typesRead 2026-08-28
Same brand, two different desks
One Staples location packs and ships for you. Another just takes what's already sealed and labeled.
The two kinds of UPS counter found inside Staples
The UPS location pages describe each Staples counter by name, and the names carry real differences. Below are two actual listings, read 2026-08-28, standing in for the pattern.
| UPS Alliance Shipping Partner | UPS Access Point | |
|---|---|---|
| Example location | Staples, 500 8th Ave, New York, NY | Staples #1169, Easton, MD |
| How UPS describes it | “Staffed Full-Service UPS Shipping and Drop Off Services” | “Convenient self-service pick-up and drop-off of pre-packaged pre-labeled shipments” |
| Can it pack and label a box for you | Yes — create a new shipment, packaging and shipping supplies on site | No — drop-off and pickup of already-packaged, already-labeled shipments only |
| Locker | Not listed | Secure self-service locker, sited outside the store |
| Sample hours | Mon–Fri 7:00am–8:00pm, Sat 9:00am–6:00pm, Sun 12:00pm–6:00pm | Mon–Fri 8:00am–8:00pm, Sat 9:00am–8:00pm, Sun 11:00am–6:00pm |
The Alliance Shipping Partner listing above also states a weekday drop-off deadline of 5:30 PM for both Ground and Air. That cutoff, like the hours in the table, belongs to one specific store — UPS publishes it per location rather than as a single national rule, so the listing for the Staples nearest you is the one to trust, not the example here.
Access Point means a slot and a locker
The package has to already be sealed and carrying a label. What Access Point adds is a locker — outside the store at the example checked here — that takes outgoing packages with a UPS label on them and holds incoming deliveries for collection when it suits you.
The store name doesn't tell you which one it is
Two Staples addresses a few miles apart can be different counter types. Check that store's UPS listing before assuming either service is available there.
Where these facts come from
- UPS, UPS Alliance Shipping Partner in Staples, 500 8th Ave, New York, NY — services, hours and the weekday 5:30 PM drop-off cutoff. Read 2026-08-28.
- UPS, UPS Access Point at Staples #1169, Easton, MD — services, store hours, the locker sited outside the store, the 24-hour locker access wording and the line about lockers accepting outgoing labelled packages. Read 2026-08-28.
UPS opens, closes and reclassifies retail counters without notice, and hours change by store and by season. Search ups.com/dropoff for the current listing before you drive over, the same advice this site gives for any UPS drop-off channel.
Common questions
Can you drop UPS packages off at Staples?
Yes, at many Staples stores, but UPS runs two different kinds of counter inside them. Some Staples locations host a UPS Alliance Shipping Partner, a staffed full-service desk. Others host a UPS Access Point, a self-service drop-off and locker setup with no packing or printing on site. The listing for the specific store says which one it is.
Does every Staples UPS counter pack and label a box for me?
No. A UPS Alliance Shipping Partner location, per its own UPS listing, offers full-service pack-and-ship: creating a new shipment, packaging and shipping supplies, and drop-off. A UPS Access Point location, per its own listing, is described as convenient self-service pick-up and drop-off of pre-packaged, pre-labeled shipments only.
Can I just leave a package at the Staples UPS locker any time?
At the Access Point example checked for this page, yes. UPS's listing for Staples #1169 places the locker outside the store rather than behind the counter and states that most of its self-service lockers are easily accessible 24 hours a day, and that Access Point lockers also accept outgoing packages with UPS labels attached. The store's own hours, Monday through Friday 8:00am to 8:00pm, Saturday 9:00am to 8:00pm and Sunday 11:00am to 6:00pm, govern the counter, not the locker. Both are set per location, so read the listing for the Staples nearest you before counting on either.
Does dropping off at Staples cost more than a UPS drop box?
UPS does not publish a separate charge tied to which drop-off channel a paid label ends at. The price is set when the label is bought, not by which counter or slot receives the box afterward.