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Do Americans really not take in packages for neighbours?
- Thread starter Gawge
- Start date
my neighbors take my packages in quite often...even though it's clearly not meant for them and fedex delivered it to the wrong place and they never tell me. Then I go on a scavenger hunt to try to find my package by knocking on all their doors, often NOT ever finding it and attempting to convince the company to send another. Fucking annoying.
The courier delivers a card with the address of the person they left it at.
I always take in stuff for my neighbours. It never even occured to me that someone would have a problem with it. Americans really do fear each other, probably one of the reasons why people aren't receptive to universal healthcare, free higher education and gun laws. It all stems from fear.
I literally haven't spoken to any of my 3 neighbors on the same floor/building in at least the past 2 years, so it'd be kind of weird for them to handle my stuff or vice versa. I either pick up the package from the post office later, or I have a courier leave the package at the leasing office.
I have never heard of this in my life. If they attempt to deliver and no one is there, they will either take it back to the distribution facility (USPS) or just leave it on your doorstep (UPS, Fedex, etc.) which was what prompted OP's question in the first place. I assumed OP would then take it off my doorstep for safekeeping until I get home, except I don't know he has it.
Huh? I'm black in lived in the hood most of my life and if my neighbor wasn't home I would take it in for my neighbors all the time and vice versa.
Here the postman leaves a note behind saying they left your package at neighbor.
Only time our neighbors get our packages for us is if we are on vacation. Otherwise the packages are just left around the house, unless I instruct otherwise on a shipment.
It's not strange to collect packages for a neighbor though. So yes, Americans do take them in in certain situations. It's not an alien idea.
It's not strange to collect packages for a neighbor though. So yes, Americans do take them in in certain situations. It's not an alien idea.
I think that a much higher percentage of Americans don't really know their neighbors. When I lived in Japan I knew a lot of people who had lived in the same house for decades and knew their neighbors (who had also lived in the same homes for decades) quite well. That's less common in the US particularly outside of very rural settings (where it wouldn't make sense to bring in a package anyway as you wouldn't know that they had one).
Maybe if I lived in an apartment complex it'd be common but packages are just left on my stoop, neighbors don't touch them and noones stolen any in the 3 years I've lived here. If a signature is needed for a delivery (pretty rare) the carrier just takes it back and leaves a note, I then have to pick it up or arrange to have it redelivered to a time when I'm home. I trust my neighbors but companies here usually won't let neighbors sign for something and I don't need them taking packages off my stoop so I've never asked or been asked.
I usually just have stuff delivered to work to avoid the hassle.
If I do have something delivered to my apartment, it gets left in the office and I have to pick it up while the property managers are in. In my previous building, they just got left in the lobby of the building. After a period of packages going missing, they got an amazon locker type system implemented.
I was pretty chill with one of my old neighbors and could probably trust her to take my packages in, though I never asked. But I don't know either of my current neighbors, so nah.
If I do have something delivered to my apartment, it gets left in the office and I have to pick it up while the property managers are in. In my previous building, they just got left in the lobby of the building. After a period of packages going missing, they got an amazon locker type system implemented.
I was pretty chill with one of my old neighbors and could probably trust her to take my packages in, though I never asked. But I don't know either of my current neighbors, so nah.
This. I don't know those people and don't want them around my stuff. I also want no part of whatever they are ordering.
The post guy leaves a note and the name of the neighbors is visible in tracking
Just out of curiosity what is the purpose of taking in the package? Is the concern more a weather/exposure thing or someone snatching the package?
Happens all the time here (UK) with Royal Mail and Amazon. I've probably had over 100 packages delivered this way over the last 5 years and had zero issues. I don't know my neighbours but everybody in the UK seems to just understand and respect this system.
What is even the point though? They'll just leave it on the front door, which is easier for the person to pick it up. If it get stolen, who cares, they'll send you another one. If it needs a signature, it'll get sent back to the facility and get sent to the house later. I don't see any situation where a neighbor needs to be involved.
I thought British people hated interacting with or talking to strangers, I guess that was all a lie, huh?
I thought British people hated interacting with or talking to strangers, I guess that was all a lie, huh?
OP
OP
I've lived in my apartment complex for two years and I don't know any of my neighbors.
Not that it matters, because we have an actual mail room and a package delivery room staff as well, but the odd package does get left inside the outer door to our building. I'd find it really weird if one of my neighbors took it to their place rather than leaving it there on the floor.
Not that it matters, because we have an actual mail room and a package delivery room staff as well, but the odd package does get left inside the outer door to our building. I'd find it really weird if one of my neighbors took it to their place rather than leaving it there on the floor.
I...would not want that to be the default behavior of the delivery guy, no.
I have barely interacted with my neighbors and I don't know whether or not they're the kind of people I can trust with my stuff, a lot of which is video games or drum hardware.
Of my current neighbors, I have interacted with one of them twice, and that included
- being reported to the city by her (at least, I suspect it was her for reasons) such that I received a letter saying I needed to mow my yard or pay a fine.
- subsequently having her come over and introduce herself once while I was out in the yard with my parents.
If a friend is going to be out of town and wants me to pick up a package that was left at their door so that it's not just sitting there until they return, I'll happily do that, and I don't mind asking my friends to do the same. (Had to do that this past Christmas, actually.)
But I don't know my neighbors; my neighbors aren't my friends.
I have barely interacted with my neighbors and I don't know whether or not they're the kind of people I can trust with my stuff, a lot of which is video games or drum hardware.
Of my current neighbors, I have interacted with one of them twice, and that included
- being reported to the city by her (at least, I suspect it was her for reasons) such that I received a letter saying I needed to mow my yard or pay a fine.
- subsequently having her come over and introduce herself once while I was out in the yard with my parents.
If a friend is going to be out of town and wants me to pick up a package that was left at their door so that it's not just sitting there until they return, I'll happily do that, and I don't mind asking my friends to do the same. (Had to do that this past Christmas, actually.)
But I don't know my neighbors; my neighbors aren't my friends.
Really depends on your relationship with your neighbors. I was in the same condo for 14 years until recently and we had occasional package thefts, so people would frequently move packages out of the lobby to neighbor's front doors. People wouldn't take someone's package into their unit unless specifically requested to do so.
Now I live in a gated community out in the boonies, so package theft isn't really a big concern.
Now I live in a gated community out in the boonies, so package theft isn't really a big concern.
I trust my neighbors, and we do things like bring in the garbage cans for each other, but package delivery isn't something that would ever come up as a thing to do.
They post a card through your door letting you know where it was dropped off/signed for. Surprised at the poll results so far, it's a pretty normal thing to do?
You guys are blowing my mind. So the postman just like, goes to a nearby house and is like "Your neighbor wasn't home, will you sign for her package?" and you take it? What happens if nobody is home there either? They just keep going door to door?
I assume this is one of those things we don't do in the US because we have a population that's five times the size of yours and we can't waste time like that or nothing would ever get delivered.
You wouldn't be doing it. The delivery person would knock at your door and hand you the parcel. You'd sign for it and the delivery driver would put a notice in the intended recipients mail, telling them you have the package. That's how it works over there. I don't think Europeans understand that packages are just left at your door here, unless you have to sign for it.
How is leaving packages outside where every stranger can steal it any better?
The USA is really fucking strange sometimes.
Coming from the UK hearing you guys in the US talk about packages just being left out in the open seems crazy. I work from home and take packages in for loads of people on my street, just seems like the courteous thing to do.
They'll usually try one neighbor and then take it to the post office for you to pick up
Yeah, that's the US-Europe difference people aren't really understanding. Unlike the US, the delivery person attempting to leave the parcel with a neighbour is just one of the default options here in the UK.
They might try a couple of neighbours' doors, then just take it back to the depot or whatever. And yeah, higher population density and houses typically being much closer together means it doesn't really take much more time.
Yup. Then they'll return to your house and put a card in through the door with the address on. At my old family house the postman knew somebody was almost always home at our house so we became the designated "drop point" whenever somebody was out.
Postman rings your doorbell.
If you're not home, they'll try a neighbor. If they find a neighbor willing to take the package, they'll leave a note in your mailbox saying where they left the package.
If there's nobody, they'll leave a note for you to pick it up at the nearest depot.
They will NEVER leave the package outside. That would be plain stupid.