Years ago, I remember my grandmother getting up early to
shop the Black Friday sales. She would head downtown, bundled-up to wait for
special sales on gifts large and small. The frenzy today continues with
“door-buster” items and some stores opening early for shoppers to get a jump
start on their holiday buying.
Apartment communities are now modifying their office and
mail storage areas to accommodate the shift toward online shopping. It’s
creating space and staffing challenges for many communities, and often,
residents don’t receive their packages until they have time to head to the
office for pick up.
Shipping
options:
Electronic
lockers: Some apartment management companies offer Amazon Lockers or other
electronic parcel lockers for resident to use. These lockers send the buyer a
text message that their package is ready for pick and the lockers can be opened
any time, day or night. More electronic lockers will likely open at convenient
locations like pharmacies and stores.
Ship to the
office: Shipping to your workplace may be safer for you, if your company
allows that. This may allow you to get the packages faster and be able to keep
track of them more easily.
Notify your
apartment office: If you are planning to make a lot of purchases and ship
them to your apartment, you can let the office know to expect a larger number
of packages. They may need to make space and may ask for you to pick up the
shipments during a certain timeframe to ensure they have the capacity for all
of your neighbors’ packages too.
Add shipping
directions: Some companies allow you to add shipping instructions when you
order. If your community prefers for you to add information about a concierge
desk or drop off point, add this info into your order to make deliveries
easier.
Shopping online can save us time and money. Living in an
apartment community offers an additional safe keeping for your packages that
you ship there so be sure to be respectful and grateful for added work the team
does to receive your deliveries.