WASHINGTON – FedEx and Amazon expect to move a record number of packages this holiday season, but click-happy consumers can avoid having packages pile up on porches as attractive targets for thieves.
Suggestions for preventing porch pirates from pilfering packages include having them delivered the old-fashioned way — sending them to work or to an at-home neighbor’s house — or giving instructions when ordering for items to be placed out-of-sight at side or back doors.
But more creative options abound.
Amazon now offers neighborhood-based locker locations where packages can be delivered and stored securely for customer pick-up within three days during business hours.
The Doorman service will hold packages for up to 30 days and lets customers schedule appointments for deliveries.
“It allows you to get your package delivered when you’re actually home, 6 p.m. to midnight, seven days a week,” says Dan Treiman, Doorman’s vice-president of new markets, .
Doorman receives and holds packages sent from retailers and works especially well for oversized goods, like furniture, or items that might need signatures or special attention, such as wine.
“When we receive it, you’ll get a notification on your Doorman app or through your email,” Treiman says.
Prices start at $3.99 for a single Doorman delivery within a two-hour window. Subscription services cost as much as $29 a month for a plan that includes unlimited deliveries, unlimited package returns and one-hour delivery windows.
Doorman operates in San Francisco, Chicago and New York. Treiman says the service expects to expand to the D.C. area sometime next year.
But can Doorman really promise one-hour delivery window in D.C., where traffic gridlock is known to bring the area to its knees?
“That’s where our technology comes in, to be able to route our drivers, and in the rare instances when the run into problems, our great customer service team can handle that, as well,” Treiman says.
The holiday gift-giving countdown has already begun — the Christmas Countdown Clock has started to tick. Consumers also will have less time to gather gifts for the Jewish Festival of Lights. Hanukkah begins at sunset Sunday, Dec. 6 and ends in the evening of Monday, Dec. 14.
