us since FedEx could certainly charge for these services. However, the company already operates a toll-free information line which customers can call to track packages; the Internet merely offers customers another way to obtain the same information. In fact, FedEx may well be saving money because it may be able to hire fewer phone operators since customers can access the Internet and the appropriate FedEx database 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and have their questions answered without human intervention ("Virtual Shopping" 31). Certainly this downsizing has a negative effect on the former FedEx employees no longer needed because of the highly effective Web site.
FedEx is an interesting company to consider when examining the use of the Internet because it is a company which has developed (some say created) demand for overnight delivery services. FedEx built its business by convincing consumers (mainly business consumers) that it was no longer efficient to send a letter which might take a week t
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