"This woman tried to go 'shopping' for packages in our hallway this morning. Our building has a security camera (obv) ... [she was] caught stuffing packages into her Whole Foods bag."
"Another reminder not to buzz people into your building unless you know them."
Your remarks and lively debates are welcome, whether supportive or critical of the views herein. Your articulate, well-informed remarks that are relevant to an article are welcome.
However, commentary that is intended to "flame" or attack, that contains violence, racist comments and potential libel will not be published. Facts are helpful.
If you'd like to make personal attacks and libelous claims against people and businesses, then you may do so on your own social media accounts. Also, comments predicting when a new business will close ("I give it six weeks") will not be approved.
Just had the same thing happen where I live -- the thief (young black female) must have been following the USPS person delivering boxes on my block. She came in right behind the postal person, acting as though she lived there, grabbed the box and took off.
ReplyDeleteOn my block, Amazon, UPS and USPS just leave boxes outside the doors to buildings. HOW can they think that no one will STEAL and HOW can they claim an item was delivered when you attempt to track it when NO ONE has signed anything to confirm a delivery?
The same thing happens in my building. The delivery people from the usual companies just leave the boxes in the lobby. And anyone can ring a claim to be a delivery person just to get into the building. I think this is why those amazon lockers are always full.
ReplyDeletebut then i see those blue apron boxes sitting on my stoop all day just growing germs.
ReplyDeleteIt seems clear that no matter what precautions are put into place by the tenants or the landlord this type of theft is hard to completely control. As more and more people are buying on-line, it seems like a necessary expense is to use one of the mail delivery stores (10th Street and First Avenue is what I use) to prevent thefts. It shouldn't have to be like this, but the brutal reality is that there may be no permanent fix.
ReplyDeleteThere's been a lot of package theft in my building on east third as well in the past two months. She's clearly on a roll and agree with the first comment, probably follows the trucks.
ReplyDeleteThis is why I don't use Amazon very often - their delivery service (typically NOT UPS) not only leaves packages outside the building (or in the accessible outer vestibule) but they also don't even BOTHER to ring your doorbell so you'd know there IS a package for you. (You can tell, if you see them on the street with all the packages piled up on delivery carts, that they're desperate to get it all done as fast as they can, even if doing so means they leave your stuff in a vulnerable location.)
ReplyDeleteNo one gives a lazy ass shit anymore. Convenience shopping via app, smartphone “Free” shipping has a price. We wonder why brick n Mortar stores in the east village, in the city, in the country are going going gone. Turn off your phone and shop mom n pop stores
ReplyDeleteAt 9:36 AM, Anonymous said:
ReplyDeleteAs more and more people are buying on-line, it seems like a necessary expense is to use one of the mail delivery stores (10th Street and First Avenue is what I use) to prevent thefts. It shouldn't have to be like this, but the brutal reality is that there may be no permanent fix.
Yeah, I've been using an external delivery place for several years; actually, I started using them when I was a pen-pal of a prisoner in Sing Sing and felt squeamish about using my real return address!
But if you live in a building without a doorman, it's safer to have your packages delivered to a secure delivery address. At about a dollar a day, it's been worth it for me.
I'm with 4:51. All these readers worried about theft of your online orders - aren't you the same people complaining on this very website about our mom and pop shops going out of business? You know that's mainly because community members don't shop there anymore, right? Sometimes we need to spend a few extra dollars than something would cost online, but do so at a local shop.
ReplyDeleteIt's really sad to see hordes of delivery trucks block our crosswalks, bike lanes, streets everyday, generating tons of noise and pollution because people absolutely need to have so much stuff delivered to their door. I get sometimes items aren't easily accessible in the community, but for the most part, everyone's desire to save a few bucks and not move their butt off their couch is costing us both our mom & pop shops, and street safety / quality of life.
Another good reason to NOT shop online when possble is that many do not collect sales tax, making you liable to pay the taxes on your state tax returns, and robbing the local community of revenue it would have received for infrastructure and services. So not only has Amazon destroyed retail, it has deprived cities and states of revenue they would have had for schools, roads and housing, It’s no wonder this new econmony has left so many people behind.
ReplyDeleteI'd gladly shop at local "mom-and-pop" shops if there were anyplace that sold what I was occasionally shopping for like foreign-language films on DVD
ReplyDeleteAmazon collects sales tax these days... that's where the majority of these packages are from.
ReplyDeleteRetail is dying, like record stores. Decry online shopping all you want, it's only going to shift more that way.
@12:32P Incorrect, Amazon does not collect sales tax on items sold by third parties which accounts for HALF of their sales. And only over the past 5 years has Amazon started to collect sales tax on their own goods. Amazon fought in court and lobbied in Washington DC for years against collecting sales tax for the items shipped from their own warehouses, depriving cities of hundreds of millions of dollars in revenues, and putting local retailers at a disadvantage. Amazon still refuses to pay the back sales taxes for the many years it did not collect them, and so now the states are coming after both Amazon and third party seller for back taxes going back to 2012. Paying back taxes will put many online sellers out of business (or in jail if they do not) and make them uncompetitive with Amazon, which offers free shipping on many items.
ReplyDelete@12:04 I've never heard of anyone paying sales tax on an online order via their tax returns. That's petty af if true...
ReplyDeleteWhat the hell are you talking about 12:04pm? I have bought COUNTLESS things online without paying sales tax and the state of New York has yet to come after me for it.
ReplyDeleteFYI Amazon, Ebay etc. collect sales tax and most non-major online sellers do, too, to avoid getting in trouble for it.
Congress passed a law giving advantage to online vendors so that out of state sellers don't have to collect other states' sales tax - however, you, as the property of the State of NY, are still responsible for the sales tax.
ReplyDeleteI can't be certain because the picture is blurry, but it seems to be the same woman who has been coming into my building ( on 2nd) for weeks steeling packages. I will submit a photo our building camera caught. But looks like she has been hitting on the buildings in the area.
ReplyDelete