Johanna Pounds
Editorial Assistant
Northeast News

Online shopping season is upon us. Kicking off with Cyber Monday, online sales increase as the holiday season starts. As online shopping becomes more prevalent, so are stolen packages left on buyer’s doorsteps.
The new headphones you bought on Cyber Monday could be gone before you get home or the new holiday dress you were going to wear to your office holiday party could be stolen before you get to wear it under the mistletoe.

Here at Northeast News, we have several tips to reduce chances of package theft this season.

Keep in contact with neighbors

Making friends with your neighbors is always an important part of community living, but keeping in contact with them will definitely keep an extra pair of eyes on your packages. Alert trustworthy neighbors if you plan to receive a package and ask if they can hold onto it if they are home when it is delivered. This way, the package is safe and sound somewhere before you can get to it.

“If you know you have a package coming, and you can’t have anyone home, maybe get in contact with a neighbor to keep an eye out for you,” noted  Richard Fischer Jr., a local UPS Driver.

Deliver packages to a local Amazon, FedEx, or UPS facility

UPS and Amazon both have ways in which you can have packages delivered directly to their facility. You can have your package sent directly to the closest UPS Access Point, or you can open up a P.O. Box and have all your packages delivered there. A UPS Access Point are basically just facilities setup to only receive packages and you can find your nearest access point at ups.com/dropoff. You have to be a member of the UPS Reward system for this, but you can also earn up to ten dollars in Target gift cards if you have your packages delivered there from now to January 11, 2019. You can contact your local UPS facility for more details.

For Amazon, you can open an Amazon Locker, which is similar to a P.O. Box. With an Amazon Locker, all of the package information can be accessed through your phone. Once a package is delivered, you will get an email and can access packages anytime. That email will a contain unique pickup code that has the address and opening times for your selected Locker location.

For a couple extra dollars, you can have your package picked up directly from your local FedEx location.
You can  also choose the “don’t deliver if the door is not answered,” option. This will automatically send that package back to the delivery facility. It may take a couple more days to receive your package, but then you can guarantee it will not be stolen at your door.

Use work address to receive packages

If your employer permits it (or if you’re your own boss), have your packages delivered to your work place. There is an even slimmer chance of packages being stolen here. Most delivery places will not leave a package sitting outside of a business, so it will either be sent back to the facility or will be sitting in your place of business’ office next time you work.

Give specific delivery instructions

If you want your postal service worker to hide the parcel under your doormat, specify that in your instructions. If you want the box put under your porch, specify that in your instructions. Figure out the safest way for your deliverer to keep your package from getting stolen, and write that down in your instruction bar.

The more you specify, the better chances you have of not getting your package stolen!

However, if your package is stolen, contact the business you ordered it from. If they are unable to give confirmation, contact the delivery service who delivered it.

Nobody wants their holiday ruined by front porch pirates. Play it safe out there!