Package delivery mess- Tragedy or Billion Dollar Opportunity?

[Mike Nelson]

When I was a kid, there was no Amazon.  Now, we have found we can click on the internet and a brown package comes to our door.  Saves time.  Saves gas. Probably saves money.  Often makes sense.  Amazon has a truly amazing computer and distribution system.

1. The problem is at the delivery end.  This hasn't been worked out.  The 200 unit multi-unit down the street has a huge problem because the mail room has boxes piling up every day, and it takes a lot of labor time to sort the mess out and somehow deliver the packages to the tenants.

At the single-family scale, they drop packages off on my front porch.  They can get stolen.  I sit at the office worrying that my new book from amazon will get stolen.  Sometimes I have to spend an hour driving to UPS and back to sign for a package.

We need solutions at different levels.  The problem exists, but I smell opportunity big-time.  At one level we should have large-enough, secure boxes, ideally built-in next to our front door.  Getting fancy, they can have electronic devices which can confirm receipt of package, perhaps linked to my phone.

At another level, the 200-unit needs some kind of a solution.  I don't know.  Maybe build in 50 or so giant mailboxes which can be assigned daily to whoever gets a package, with some kind of electronic key.  Or you can start a business which provides staff as needed daily to address this problem as an outside consultant.

Anybody have any ideas - or build a new $Billion business?