Locals in Bushwick and around the city say the neighborhood’s package thieves remain undaunted, They rip through boxes hoping to find valuable items, but sometimes steal entire packages regardless of the contents. Whether you are waiting on a package of new clothes or a print of a scene from Spongebob, it can often feel like no packages feel safe from porch pirates.
New Yorkers know all too well the frustration, stress and anxiety surrounding waiting for packages. A post published by the New York Times in 2019 claimed that 90,000 packages a day are stolen or lost. Some now cancel plans to stay home all day and wait for their packages by the door.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Here’s some tips that locals say help keep their packages safe.
Pick it up at you job
Aminah Ali, a fitness coach living in Bushwick, says she now has most of her packages delivered to her gym, after four of her packages were stolen from her front porch last summer.
As some begin to return to the workplace after extended periods of remote work, the comfort of knowing they will always be home to hear deliveries has dissipated. By setting the delivery your job’s location, your package has a better chance of ending up in the right hands
“I don’t want it to be delivered to my job, it’s annoying and some stuff just shouldn’t have to be [delivered there]. But, if it’s gonna prevent me from getting my things stolen, I’ll do it.” Ali told us.
Pick it up from the Bushwick Post
After seven packages were stolen from the porch of their home, the couple who later founded Bushwick Post had opened the business with the hope of avoiding postal hardships. As it happens, the business is now owned by another Bushwick couple, Bryan Webster and Angelo Regaza.
“People are increasingly time deprived, you know, in a late-stage capitalist society everybody’s working harder for the money that they are earning, if they do have a job. And people have less time than ever. E-commerce has become just a part of the way we live,” Regaza said in an interview.
Bushwick Post’s mailbox rentals are currently sold out, a concierge service is still available. To have your package received by Bushwick Post instead, you have to pay a fee of up to $3 per package, depending on size and weight. reach out on the ‘Contact Us’ page with your name, email, phone number and actual home address.
Bushwick Post is located at 620 Wilson Ave and is open from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. They are not open on Sunday.
Pick it up from FedEx.
If your package is shipped using FedEx and no one will be home during the delivery date or time, the packages can be held for pick up at a local Walgreens, Duane Reade or Dollar General store.
Packages are held at the location for up to seven days and after that they will be returned to the nearest FedEx facility. On FedEx’s website, you can redirect your package to any participating FedEx On-site locations in Bushwick. There are no additional fees for picking up.
Pick it up from the UPS
In and around Bushwick there is no lack of UPS Access Point locations, as well. At these locations packages sent via the service can be held there up. These access point locations are normally delis, grocery stores or pharmacies.
To do this kind of thing, set the delivery address to one of those locations. When the package has been delivered, you will receive an email or text message notifying you that the package is there.
Pick it up from the Post Office
Packages that are shipped with USPS can be held for pick up at a local post office. To get packages held there, use the ‘Intercept a Package’ tool on the post office’s website. This tool allows the sender to stop or redirect the delivery of a package or letter that is not already out for delivery. This will cost you a $15.95 “package intercept fee.”
Image by Claudio Schwarz via Unsplash.com
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