Amazon to start locker delivery system?

[darkswordsman17]

http://www.geekwire.com/2011/confirmed-amazons-delivery-locker-7eleven

Saw this and just...weird. Kinda curious to see what they're going for here, I'm not really sure when you'd prefer this over just having it delivered and it seems like this will just be a waste in that they'll either have too many or too few lockers in use to really warrant them. I wonder how they're going to "stock" them too. Have UPS/FedEx? The 7/11 employees?

 

[Alone]

I'm kind of OK with this. I live in an apartment building and they can't leave packages here so I have to go far to pick 'em up. I have a motorcycle, so I either have to get a buddy to give me a lift or walk.

 

[chalmers]

Pretty cool idea, no 7/11's that I've ever seen in Cincinnati though, oh well.

 

[Miramonti]

Interesting. I guess.

 

[zokudu]

Do you rent one for an extended period or do they just place it in one of the lockers and you can pick it up from there at your leisure? Either way it will be neat to see where they are going with this.

 

[Numenorean]

Do you rent one for an extended period or do they just place it in one of the lockers and you can pick it up from there at your leisure? Either way it will be neat to see where they are going with this.

Reading too hard?

 

[dfuze]

It's not for me, but I could see it useful for some people.
Nice to see them try something new.

 

[darkewaffle]

I lived in Philly for a few years but it was in a place where you didn't really want a package just sitting on your stoop, and they wouldn't leave it there anyway. So the 7-11 would actually be closer for me than stopping by the office of whoever shipped it. I could have seen myself using this occasionally while I was there.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Cool, though what I just do is get packages delivered to the shipping office instead of my house. They call me and I go there to pick it up instead of having to wait 3 days because they keep trying to deliver when I'm not home.

 

[Riverhound777]

Interesting idea. I have a 7-11 very close to me, so this might be useful. Currently if i'm having something shipped that i'm worried about, I ship it to work. I'd probably still do that over this though.

 

[Bignate603]

I'm not really sure when you'd prefer this over just having it delivered

I'd love to avoid delivery at my home by UPS or Fedex. Both of them have done crazy things, like leaving "sorry we missed you" tags while I was sitting right next to the door or leaving a box of expensive stuff in full view of the street.

This way they can't do something screwy and I can pick up my package when I'm free. It would be nice if they gave you a break on the cost of shipping too since the delivery company can deliver a ton of packages in a single trip rather than running all over town.

 

[mmntech]

In other news, the post office just pooped their pants.

 

[ViviTheMage]

I wish UPS would do what fedex did ... leave it at the closest UPS store/branch.

FEDEX rock for missed packages, just drop it off at fedex/kinkos down the street. Tome, this would be useless, since this option is better...and having items shipped to work instead.

 

[nageov3t]

In other news, the post office just pooped their pants.

why? someone would still be delivering the packages from the warehouse to the site.

I think it's a pretty neat concept. I live on a street with high foot-traffic (especially kids walking to/from school) and don't have a secure place to leave packages outside of my house.

after I first moved in here, I ordered a couple cheap ethernet cables from amazon, and sure enough, they got swiped off my doorstep. fortunately, my parents only live a couple miles away from me and in a much more residential/suburban town, so I just have everything delivered to their house now, but it would be nice to have options :thumbsup:

 

[gorcorps]

I'm kind of OK with this. I live in an apartment building and they can't leave packages here so I have to go far to pick 'em up. I have a motorcycle, so I either have to get a buddy to give me a lift or walk.

You don't have a main office they can deliver to? Whenever I get anything from UPS and I'm not home they give it to my main office and I pick it up there. The downside is that I have to be home during office hours. Having somewhere like 7-11 that would be open 24 hours and I could still pick it up would be nice.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

http://www.geekwire.com/2011/confirmed-amazons-delivery-locker-7eleven

Saw this and just...weird. Kinda curious to see what they're going for here, I'm not really sure when you'd prefer this over just having it delivered and it seems like this will just be a waste in that they'll either have too many or too few lockers in use to really warrant them. I wonder how they're going to "stock" them too. Have UPS/FedEx? The 7/11 employees?

I'm guessing that if you pay by credit card you will have to include the locker physical address on the account as an additional address. And while I have had an order disappear from my USPS local carrier, I can just as easily see these things getting stolen during the holidays.

 

[foghorn67]

I want this badly. I live in an apartment, and I don't trust any packages in the hallways.

 

[mmntech]

why? someone would still be delivering the packages from the warehouse to the site.

Couriers and the downturn in mail is slaughtering their sales. This just adds another option for people. Especially given how much Amazon traffic goes through them. I doubt Amazon will be using USPS et al to deliver to these boxes.

 

[Imp]

I can't believe there aren't more package locker boxes available considering the annoyance and waste of money missed deliveries are. Not sure I'd want to head down to a 7-11 to pick up my shit though.

We actually had an "e-box" installed once. Company went out of business, and I had to personally take the 50lb chunk of concrete into the backyard and destroy it to fit it into the garbage. Nice idea though.

 

[Deeko]

They've had similar in other countries for awhile. I think its a great idea, I would have loved to have this when I lived in an apartment in Philly where I couldn't receive packages.

 

[CRXican]

interesting idea

 

[sswingle]

I'm guessing that if you pay by credit card you will have to include the locker physical address on the account as an additional address. And while I have had an order disappear from my USPS local carrier, I can just as easily see these things getting stolen during the holidays.

Would make much more sense if the item was placed into an available locker, and the system knows which locker, so when you go to pick it up you login to the terminal and it opens the correct locker. On the checkout screen you would simply choose which 7-11 you wanted to pick it up at if you chose that delivery option.

 

[Anonemous]

So once these get installed in 7-11's all across the country does that mean Amazon will now have to collect sales tax in all the states it has a 'box' in.

 

[brblx]

In other news, the post office is wondering if amazon has ever heard of 'PO boxes' or 'hold for pickup'

FTFY.

this is a solution looking for a problem. they should've partnered with apple.

 

[nageov3t]

FTFY.

this is a solution looking for a problem. they should've partnered with apple.

I have, actually, never heard of "hold for pickup," but post office desk hours are like 10 am - 2 pm anyways and PO boxes are tiny unless you're willing to pay an arm and a leg.