Package delivery mess- Tragedy or Billion Dollar Opportunity?
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.
- 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?