Ah, the trials and tribulations of shipping valuable objects.
I remember sending a palm pilot to my daughter. Which was “delivered”. Except, it was really just dropped off at her doorstep. Before she got home, it was gone. Eventually, I got UPS to pay up. They tried to claim they had no responsibility. Like, it was only their job to drop off the box.
Over the years, UPS (and, to some degree, FedEx) got smarter. I used to find packages in my screened-in porch days after they were delivered. Because I had no idea something was on the way- and I rarely used my screened-in porch in December or January.
And, if you are shipping wine (or receiving it), assuming that such a concept is legal in your state, then you know that the recipient must sign for it. And, the signer must be over the age of 21. And, some shippers only deliver four days a week to residences. (Even though they charge more for residential deliveries.)
And, now UPS is going to start a new practice. One that should help folks who ship wine, folks who deliver products to residential apartments. Oh, and it will save UPS a ton of time in their three re-delivery attempts trying to get someone to sign for the package.
You can see it in action already. It’s called “My Choice”. If you pay UPS a fee of $ 40 a year, the delivery changes are “free”. Otherwise, it’s $ 5 per delivery to have your package dropped off at a local business, where you will get the chance to pick up when you want. (In effect, you are “signing” for the package remotely. Except the retailer, who has agreed in advance to work with UPS, is signing for it, as well. )
Another approach is to have your package delivered to a UPS store. These places (right now, there are about 4500 of them in the US) are opened later and more days a week than the regular UPS depot location. And, they are usually more convenient to where you live.
So, if you are getting wine- or that $ 12,000 trinket- and can’t get it delivered to your office, or won’t be home any day of the week (remember, it’s the day UPS comes, not the day you want them to come), then you should be considering these alternatives.
