By Jules Suzdaltsev
The winter holidays are creeping up on us, which means, unfortunately, package thefts will be on the rise. The massive increase in December deliveries brings with it gifts for unscrupulous people willing to take your things when packages are left in plain view. As Bernalwood recently posted, one such “package Grinch” was caught on tape in Bernal Heights allegedly stealing an envelope full of “cocktail napkins with anchors, poppies, and a classic Moroccan tile pattern.” Surely he’ll find a good use for them, provided he isn’t caught before his next fancy dinner party. Worst of all, the delivery was stolen in broad daylight, off a front doorstep, and clearly nobody noticed.
Luckily there are a few simple solutions to prevent this holiday’s gifts from falling into the wrong hands after being left all willy-nilly in your stoop. 1) Consider having packages sent to a workplace (yours or a friend’s) where there is always somebody available to sign for and hold your packages. And 2), really do your research when ordering from Amazon.
In San Francisco, Amazon uses OnTrac to deliver, and based on their one and a half star rating on Yelp, they are easily one of the worst delivery services ever. I’ve rarely had success with Amazon delivering to my home via OnTrac, because the drivers either just dump my order in front of my door, or don’t bother buzzing the apartment before leaving a note that gives me no discernible method of actually getting to my stuff. One of the main reasons they’re so notoriously unreliable is that unlike FedEx, UPS, or the USPS, they apparently have no way of getting into your building, and demand access codes when you call in to find out why they didn’t deliver.
But don’t worry, all is not lost if you just love Amazon. The company also gives you the option of having your things sent to one of their many Amazon Lockers in the city, spots where you can pick up whenever it best suits you, instead of running downstairs every hour hoping not to miss your dearly awaited new blender. When checking out, select the locker closest to you, and when it arrives, you’ll get an email with your unlock code, easy as pie — although you do lose out on the benefit of getting deliveries to your door. Of course, the added security is definitely worth the added walk.
No matter how you get your Christmas cookies or Hanukkah jelly donuts, make sure you actually get them by never leaving deliveries at your door for some dick who isn’t you to enjoy.
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[Via Bernalwood, image from Thinkstock]
