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Demovictory9

(32,320 posts)
Tue Dec 3, 2019, 09:38 PM Dec 2019

How do you protect your packages? Package theft rampant in urban areas.

90,000 Packages Disappear Daily in N.Y.C. Is Help on the Way?
Package theft has also soared in cities like Denver and Washington. The increase has frustrated shoppers and led to creative measures for thwarting thieves.



Miriam Cruz, a retired nurse’s aide, has become the unofficial package receiver in her East Harlem building after neighbors complained of having their online deliveries stolen.Credit...Roshni Khatri for The New York Times

Online deliveries to an apartment building in northern Manhattan are left with a retired woman in 2H who watches over her neighbors’ packages to make sure nothing gets stolen.

Corporate mailrooms in New York and other cities are overwhelmed by employees shipping personal packages to work for safekeeping, leading companies to ban packages and issue warnings that boxes will be intercepted and returned to the senders.

A new start-up company is gambling that online shoppers who are worried about not getting their packages will be willing to pay extra to ship them to a home-based network of package receivers in Brooklyn.

With online shopping surging and another holiday season unfolding, customers’ mounting frustration and anger over stolen packages are driving many to take creative and even extreme measures to keep items out of the hands of thieves.

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About 15 percent of all deliveries in urban areas fail to reach customers on the first attempt because of package theft and other issues, like deliveries to the wrong house, according to transportation experts.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/02/nyregion/online-shopping-package-theft.html?algo=als1&fellback=false&imp_id=751166451&imp_id=282388099&action=click&module=editorContent&pgtype=Article®ion=CompanionColumn&contentCollection=Trending
42 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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How do you protect your packages? Package theft rampant in urban areas. (Original Post) Demovictory9 Dec 2019 OP
It is simple if you have a cell phone at140 Dec 2019 #1
Many people are at work. cwydro Dec 2019 #3
I'm on the road 3 weeks a month, dware Dec 2019 #20
This may lead to a new business model. madaboutharry Dec 2019 #2
Amazon are on it already... mwooldri Dec 2019 #7
We have Amazon locker in my building. smirkymonkey Dec 2019 #37
Or another... A HERETIC I AM Dec 2019 #24
That is a great idea. madaboutharry Dec 2019 #25
genius! (nt) stopdiggin Dec 2019 #26
lol Demovictory9 Dec 2019 #27
I know! LisaM Dec 2019 #29
Sadly, those days are gone Stargazer09 Dec 2019 #30
I wish I could live in your world cagefreesoylentgreen Dec 2019 #36
I don't have that problem Raftergirl Dec 2019 #4
Thus far my neighborhood has been free of this too, but I'd not bet the farm it will remain so. hlthe2b Dec 2019 #5
It's not the neighborhood that's the problem. mwooldri Dec 2019 #8
I've never had that problem. Raftergirl Dec 2019 #13
The local post offices are notorious for not delivering packages to PO Boxes csziggy Dec 2019 #15
I only know Raftergirl Dec 2019 #17
I think some people use the address of the PO and pick up like General Delivery csziggy Dec 2019 #22
I've begged shippers to let me choose the carrier California_Republic Dec 2019 #6
When I lived in Atlanta a few bamagal62 Dec 2019 #9
This guy got revenge on the fuckers. Lucky Luciano Dec 2019 #10
I love that idea! 2naSalit Dec 2019 #12
That was fake, actually. Codeine Dec 2019 #18
wow Demovictory9 Dec 2019 #28
We have a shop in our neighborhood that does a pretty good business receiving packages for people. SeattleVet Dec 2019 #11
Locker Olafjoy Dec 2019 #14
rampant in chicago, too. very bad in my hood. mopinko Dec 2019 #16
Amazon Locker. Codeine Dec 2019 #19
me too Demovictory9 Dec 2019 #21
I have rented a P. O. Box for fifty years. Never had a problem. Midnight Writer Dec 2019 #23
I rented the smallest mailbox at a UPS store lapfog_1 Dec 2019 #31
I have always lived in a house, long story short, I have recently dewsgirl Dec 2019 #32
I have packages left at my gate all the time; never lost anything. brooklynite Dec 2019 #33
She deserves a BIG CASH TIP or holiday gift from her neighbors. NurseJackie Dec 2019 #34
I usually wear a cup n/t maxrandb Dec 2019 #35
I'm disappointed it took 35 responses to get this one. WhiskeyGrinder Dec 2019 #38
I'm glad to bring some juvenile, middle school boy humor to the scene maxrandb Dec 2019 #39
I have a 100 pound, 7 foot telescope getting delivered today... cbdo2007 Dec 2019 #40
When I lived in Philadelphia, the situation was used to help alleviate a problem DFW Dec 2019 #41
There's always someone home at our house, so MineralMan Dec 2019 #42

at140

(6,110 posts)
1. It is simple if you have a cell phone
Tue Dec 3, 2019, 09:46 PM
Dec 2019

Fedex, USPS, UPS send me a text message when the item is delivered.
As soon as I see the text message pop up on my phone, I open my front door and retrieve the item.
Sometimes small items are delivered in the street mail box. Those are locked.
When ordering an item on-line I make sure the vendor has my phone number.

dware

(12,092 posts)
20. I'm on the road 3 weeks a month,
Wed Dec 4, 2019, 12:04 AM
Dec 2019

I have a friend who lets me use her address to have my packages delivered to, she'll hold them until I take my down time.

madaboutharry

(40,149 posts)
2. This may lead to a new business model.
Tue Dec 3, 2019, 09:48 PM
Dec 2019

Package receivers. A business rents a central location and establishes a package depository where packages are sent and stored for safe keeping at a small fee. Then the customer can retrieve their package with a ticket or receipt, like dry cleaning.

mwooldri

(10,291 posts)
7. Amazon are on it already...
Tue Dec 3, 2019, 09:56 PM
Dec 2019

Amazon Locker. If delivery is done by Amazon, they can deliver to their own lockers.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Locker#:~:targetText=Amazon%20Locker%20is%20a%20self,on%20the%20Locker%20touch%20screen.

Also UPS do have places that one can redirect packages to, e.g. UPS Stores. I'd hazard a guess that FedEx would allow you to deliver their packages to one of their stores.

And then there's the great grandmother of them all... The Post Office Box. Somehow the United States Postal Service has been doing this for decades.

 

smirkymonkey

(63,221 posts)
37. We have Amazon locker in my building.
Wed Dec 4, 2019, 09:28 AM
Dec 2019

It works pretty well, unless you are away for more than a few days. There is a time limit and then they clear out your locker to make room for other packages.

A HERETIC I AM

(24,320 posts)
24. Or another...
Wed Dec 4, 2019, 02:10 AM
Dec 2019

A system where you go to a special facility and can actually touch and feel the item, purchase it and take it home with you, thus avoiding all the middlemen.

A place where goods could be stored till you took them home.

I know! Let’s call it “a store”

Stargazer09

(2,131 posts)
30. Sadly, those days are gone
Wed Dec 4, 2019, 03:45 AM
Dec 2019

I miss being able to see and feel things before buying them.

However, I do not miss going to the store for something I needed, only to discover it is out of stock at that location.

When my autistic child was young, shopping was downright painful, and not finding what I needed at the first store usually meant going without.

Online shopping would have made life much easier. Not necessarily better, since I liked the interactive experience of shopping, but definitely less stressful.

Raftergirl

(1,276 posts)
4. I don't have that problem
Tue Dec 3, 2019, 09:50 PM
Dec 2019

where I live. No one in my neighborhood even locks their doors.

My kid, OTOH, who lives in an apartment in Boston, has his packages delivered to his local Post Office branch and picks them up there.

mwooldri

(10,291 posts)
8. It's not the neighborhood that's the problem.
Tue Dec 3, 2019, 10:02 PM
Dec 2019

Likewise, our doors aren't locked.

It's the delivery couriers. We've had packages delivered to our trash can (inside the trash can), the roof of the car, and even the middle of the road. Our address is residential so pretty darned obvious where to deliver.

In my former life I managed complaints from customers claiming non receipt of orders. Biggest problem was the lack of an accurate address - trying to make corporate addresses look like residential addresses... it confuses the heck out of the courier when the address is 123 Any Street, but 123 Any Street is an office complex with multiple companies and there's not a company name. Courier tried, but inevitably they give up, either by doing the right thing (return to sender) or the wrong thing (deliver to random address in office complex).

Raftergirl

(1,276 posts)
13. I've never had that problem.
Tue Dec 3, 2019, 11:05 PM
Dec 2019

Packages always left on my front steps. Guess I’m just lucky.

If I’m out of town and expect a package I ask one of my neighbors to look out for it and take it in.

csziggy

(34,120 posts)
15. The local post offices are notorious for not delivering packages to PO Boxes
Tue Dec 3, 2019, 11:19 PM
Dec 2019

I have to get my CPAP supplies sent to my street address since the PO never lets me know when the package arrives at the post office box.

I had issues with a FedEx delivery to the PO Box - they got the street address from the Post Office, and stuck it in the box on the street. The box that is not visible from anywhere on my property, that is not a secure location, and that I usually do not use for anything sensitive or valuable since it is simple for someone to just stop and grab the contents.

Of course, I only check the street box once a week, and I did not think my FedEx box would be in it since it is illegal for anyone other than a Post Office employee to put stuff in there.

Tallahassee residents outraged over poor mail delivery
TaMaryn Waters, Tallahassee Democrat Published 6:00 a.m. ET Dec. 20, 2018 | Updated 8:14 p.m. ET Dec. 21, 2018

Tallahassee residents have a mail problem that appears to have begun long before the hectic holiday delivery season.

Some residents, especially those living in northeast Tallahassee, say the U.S Postal Service isn't delivering letters and packages for days at a time or not at all. Just as frustrating, they've had no success getting answers either when they call customer service or drive to the local post office to speak to management.

The issue struck a nerve with residents after former Tampa Bay Times reporter Lucy Morgan wrote a Dec. 10 column in the Tallahassee Democrat chronicling her neighborhood's concerns. In addition, more than 1,000 comments, many of them lambasting the Post Office, were posted on Facebook in response to this article.

Following the social media firestorm, Kanickewa “Nikki” Johnson, a regional spokeswoman for USPS, said the agency wouldn't be granting any interviews at this time about delivery service concerns. She added no formal investigation was underway.

More: https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/money/2018/12/20/tallahassee-residents-outraged-over-poor-mail-delivery/2360995002/

Raftergirl

(1,276 posts)
17. I only know
Wed Dec 4, 2019, 12:00 AM
Dec 2019

what my kid told me when I asked him over Thanksgiving where I should send a housewarming gift I’m getting for him - his apartment or his office. That’s when he told me he has packages sent to the Post Office and he picks them up there. He doesn’t have a PO Box.

csziggy

(34,120 posts)
22. I think some people use the address of the PO and pick up like General Delivery
Wed Dec 4, 2019, 01:31 AM
Dec 2019

I've been told to put the street address for our PO and our box number as if it were an apartment. But they are so incompetent, they would lose those packages, too.

Now Amazon and some companies that use FedEx suggest pickup points - I can have items delivered to a local Walgreens and pick them up there. I may have to start doing that if deliveries get worse!

California_Republic

(1,826 posts)
6. I've begged shippers to let me choose the carrier
Tue Dec 3, 2019, 09:55 PM
Dec 2019


USPS would get my packages in to large locked mailboxes with keys.

But so far every seller has said they can’t or don’t want to

bamagal62

(3,218 posts)
9. When I lived in Atlanta a few
Tue Dec 3, 2019, 10:03 PM
Dec 2019

Years ago, our neighborhood hardware store was providing their address for package delivery, as package theft was a huge problem. It was so popular, they became overwhelmed and had to discontinue the service. So, yes, looks like an opportunity for a new business model!

SeattleVet

(5,468 posts)
11. We have a shop in our neighborhood that does a pretty good business receiving packages for people.
Tue Dec 3, 2019, 10:54 PM
Dec 2019

It's a shipping center, coffee shop and community hub. Been doing a decent business since 2002.
https://www.sipandship.com/our-story.html

Whenever possible I have things delivered to the local UPS or FedEx shops or a nearby Amazon Box if I'm not going to be home when a delivery is scheduled, but sometimes we have to take a chance (scheduled delivery dates change midstream, we need to go out for something, etc.)

We've had stuff stolen from our porch a few times over the past few years, but fortunately we're on a very busy street and someone gathering packages on our block is quickly noticed, so they tend to stay away during daylight. I did call the police when I saw someone going through stuff on a neighbor's porch. They arrived 20 minutes after the guy casually walked away.

Olafjoy

(937 posts)
14. Locker
Tue Dec 3, 2019, 11:15 PM
Dec 2019

In my son’s apt building in LA they have a private locker service along one wall in the lobby. You can use the service for a small fee each year. You get your package out with a code on a touchscreen. Works well for him and his roommates. What a great little business for a retired person though, package acceptor. I would do that when I work from home. Get to snoop over everyone’s purchases

mopinko

(69,805 posts)
16. rampant in chicago, too. very bad in my hood.
Tue Dec 3, 2019, 11:47 PM
Dec 2019

but yeah, no, dropping them at some stranger's house isnt gonna make me feel any better.
lots of options here, tho. pick up at ups, inc office stores, iirc the aldi has amazon lockers as do a couple grocery stores.

 

Codeine

(25,586 posts)
19. Amazon Locker.
Wed Dec 4, 2019, 12:03 AM
Dec 2019

Or I have them sent to my FILs apartment behind us; invisible from the street and you have to trek back and up a set of stairs to get to it. Porch pirates want a quicker snatch.

dewsgirl

(14,961 posts)
32. I have always lived in a house, long story short, I have recently
Wed Dec 4, 2019, 08:21 AM
Dec 2019

been living in an apartment, near two military bases, mostly military live here. Each afternoon, at least half of the apartments have packages sitting outside their doors, to me this is crazy, we aren't even in a gated community, this really bothers me.

brooklynite

(93,847 posts)
33. I have packages left at my gate all the time; never lost anything.
Wed Dec 4, 2019, 08:23 AM
Dec 2019

If I really worried; I'd route them to the UPS Store or Fedex Kinko's.

cbdo2007

(9,213 posts)
40. I have a 100 pound, 7 foot telescope getting delivered today...
Wed Dec 4, 2019, 10:09 AM
Dec 2019

if someone wants to steal it before I get home they are welcome to try. Should be amusing on the Ring video at least.

DFW

(54,050 posts)
41. When I lived in Philadelphia, the situation was used to help alleviate a problem
Wed Dec 4, 2019, 10:22 AM
Dec 2019

There was a huge and prolonged trash strike in the city, and one young mother was stressing out at the large quantity of dirty diapers that were building up in her trash bags.

She then got some large cardboard boxes, put the trash bags inside them, taped them up and giftwrapped them. She then drove downtown and left the boxes on the back seat of her car, left it unlocked and walked away. When she came back twenty minutes later, the boxes were gone. Free trash removal during a strike of the trash removers! Just package things the right way, and someone will always show up to help you out...............

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