Package theft: Could in-person pickups be the way to go?
It’s a little surprising that package theft isn’t more common.
Think about it. Modern technology has introduced online ordering to many area restaurants and stores and, upon pickup, many restaurants — especially fast-food joints — simply leave online orders in bags on a designated shelf. No receipt needed.
Mind you, a fast food order may not be as expensive as a package ordered online, and the situation can have a more immediately remedy if you arrive at the store to find your lunch missing. But the risk it takes for someone to snatch a food order from the shelf at your home Sheetz is also minimal, especially compared to lifting a cardboard package from in front of someone’s door or mailbox.
Butler Bureau of Police chief Bob O’Neill said police have seen an uptick in thefts from vehicles and a few packages that have been taken when left outside too long, which is typical for the holiday season. A Capital One Shopping Report issued in October said more than 35% of Americans have had a package stolen within the past year, and 29% of stolen packages were valued at more than $100.
What is in the stolen packages? How much are they worth? What foods could be in the paper bag left on a pickup shelf with an order number and no other descriptors? It doesn’t matter to the taker. These infractions are inconvenient at best, and catastrophes at worst, especially when medicine or groceries are involved.
But, aside from the rise in doorbells that double as cameras pointing at the front door area, what solutions exist for catching package thieves? Yes, it is good to have special instructions for delivery personnel, and it helps when you can schedule a delivery to come at a time you will be home, but that is not always possible for everyone. Especially when ordering a last-minute holiday gift, whose timing is at the mercy of an ever-overloaded delivery service.
What is interesting is that package thievery is in the news at all times of the year, but you don’t often hear about orders being taken from an in-store drop off point. Maybe the in-person system of shopping is more secure than delivery, to best avoid a potential loss of a present or your lunch.
— ET
