Meet The UPS Store Retail Owner, Surjit Malhi

Packing. Shipping. Notarizing. The UPS Store owners Surjit Malhi and Navjeet Kaur, a husband and wife team, do it all. But, in their stores, they say "helping," is job number one. They take their customer service seriously. "We never tell a customer no. We always say yes," says Surjit. "If it's something we've never done before, I'll say 'give us a couple of days and we'll find a solution for you."

Born in India where they obtained their degrees in Computer Science, Surjit and Navjeet landed in the San Francisco Bay Area where they eventually combined their expertise with great customer service. It's become the cornerstone of their two The UPS Store locations. "We talk to our customers. Oh, we love to talk!" says Navjeet. Whether they're throwing holiday parties for their customers or coming in on a day off to help a customer who urgently needs a document notarized, their customers always come first.

After years in the restaurant industry with round-the-clock hours, the duo eventually decided it was time to strike out on their own and start a business. "You don't have a family life in the restaurant business," says Navjeet, mom to their two little girls. How did they find their way to The UPS Store? Surjit went into his local The UPS Store and asked for a job! "During my interview, the owner asked 'Why do you want to do this job?' I said 'I want to own my own business.'" The owner, now one of their closest friends and mentors, appreciated his honesty and Surjit started behind the counter right away. He quickly learned the business from the ground up and, six months later, he started looking for his own The UPS Store.

After acquiring their first store, Sarjit and Navjeet were excited to bond with their new community. They went all out for their store opening, inviting neighbors and employees of their local school district, college and church. Their enthusiasm was contagious. "We had a ribbon-cutting ceremony when we opened the store," Navjeet says. "We expected 20-25 people. Seventy customers showed up! It's so much fun when we're able to meet people and talk with them in person."

Surjit and Navjeet genuinely care about their customers. They call them to check in and make sure sentimental items arrived unscathed at their destinations. They are the go-to bilingual translators for an attorney's clients. They are the inspiration for a postmaster who recently came into the store and chatted for nearly two hours about how The UPS Store works. "At the end of our conversation, the postmaster said 'I want to become a The UPS Store owner' and left his contact information with us to share with The UPS Store team," Surjit says. "If someone wants to open a business, open a The UPS Store," he continues. "It's a really good business but, keep in mind, that customer service is the most important thing."

Clearly, the duo is dedicated to their business. One of them is always at the store. But, Navjeet's daughters are her priority and they love to dance, begging to go to Zumba class with her and she's happy to have them join in. Surjit's passion is computer technology which often leads him right back to the store. "The UPS Store is high tech," he says. He's applied his computer skills to learning graphic design which he uses for customers all the time. "I had a customer come for business cards. He asked me if I could build a website," he explains. "He was a photographer and videographer. I said 'Let's see what I can do for you!'" Sure enough, he got it done.

Surjit and Navjeet also love collecting books for the Toys for Tots Literacy Program. They were so successful last year that they plan to work with their local schools to collect books for them as well. The next time you're in one of their stores, be sure to say hi and ask about their book drive. You'll be in for some great conversation!