8 ms·

Poll Shows People Don't Want Amazon Deliverers to Have Access to Their Homes

aetherson 9y ago
Then those people don't have to use the service.
tlb 9y ago
For historical perspective, I remember in 1996 when polls said most people would never use their credit cards to buy things over the internet. Bezos surely remembers that too.
- marlokk 9y ago
  Exactly, what the results of this poll really indicate is that amazon customers' houses should be used as warehouses.
- sidlls 9y ago
  I wonder if there are any differences between using a credit card online and allowing strangers entry into one's home.
- islanderfun 9y ago
  Bingo. We were taught not get in a car with strangers or meet people online. Uber and Tinder are things.
- synicalx 9y ago
  To be fair, lots of people use debit Visa/Mastercard cards instead. If I had a credit card, I don't think I'd be comfortable buying something online with it.
  - ghaff 9y ago
    The risk is pretty much the opposite of what you think it is. One gives access to your bank account. The other you are protected from paying fraudulent charges.
moonka 9y ago
If I had a separate mudroom I'd consider it, but having dogs makes it a no-go as it is set up. I'm surprised Amazon hasn't set up a "Amazon Locker" style box that you can get placed on your porch for deliveries. A relatively small one would take care of 90% of my packages.
- corvallis 9y ago
  Amazon doesn't have to set this up. I know a handful of people who bought a durable plastic trunk for their porch, and leave it open with a padlock available. There's a sign on it instructing for deliveries to be placed in the trunk and then padlocked. They have the key and are able to retrieve it when they get home from work.
  - ghaff 9y ago
    And, frankly, just asking for deliveries to be put in a plastic bin probably helps a lot at the margins. Never been an issue for me but just not having a package in visible sight can probably be useful.
imgabe 9y ago
Who are they polling? I think there's a fairly limited amount of people who would really want this, and lot of people who wouldn't. You need to live in a city, but not in an apartment building, which is a pretty small (and wealthy) proportion of people. If you live in the suburbs or the country, you probably don't mind leaving packages on the porch. In the city if you don't have a doorman, a package is almost guaranteed to get stolen. Homicidal maniacs who want to kill total strangers for no reason are pretty rare. Packages thieves are ubiquitous.
- k_sh 9y ago
  > In the city if you don't have a doorman, a package is almost guaranteed to get stolen. I'm guessing you're in NYC? Doormen are not common in LA/SF.
- djrogers 9y ago
  > In the city if you don't have a doorman, a package is almost guaranteed to get stolen. That’s taking a pretty narrow view of ‘the city’ - very few places on the west coast have a doorman for example (I’ve never actually seen one), and there are plenty of cities where you could have a package not stolen. Of course if your definition of a ‘city’ only includes Manhattan then you may be correct.
  - always_good 9y ago
    I'm not sure what your point is. Theft doesn't have to be a common event for it to ruin your day once it does happen to you.
  - ng12 9y ago
    Not sure why you're singling out Manhattan: Queens and Brooklyn are famously unsafe for packages. Even when I lived in the Sunset (the sleepy half of SF) I had packages go missing. In fact I would argue that if a package can reliably last 8 hours on your porch you don't live in a city (at least for the purposes of this discussion).
- eli 9y ago
  Actually I think there's a big opportunity for Amazon to convince the building management or condo boards of non-doorman apartment buildings that this is something they want.
snapetom 9y ago
If this is Amazon's solution to missing packages, it's the wrong one. I've never had an issue with Amazon delivery until they used their own drivers. I now frequently have my packages never arrive (I have cameras on my porch. Not being stolen) and four times in the last six months have received a delivery for someone else. It isn't like a package for my next door neighbor, either. They're packages to addresses up to three miles away. If Amazon wants to reduce missing packages, they need to hire drivers who actually give a shit or go back to using USPS/FedEx/UPS.
- ducttape12 9y ago
  Agreed. In my area, 2 day shipping usually uses either UPS or USPS. Same day shipping uses their drivers. I've given up expecting it same day.
- sliken 9y ago
  Had some issues with an amazon delivery and talked to the driver about fixing it for next time. They shrugged and said amazon pays like crap and the driver turn over is high. So high that I'd likely not get the same driver for my next delivery. Does seem like a bad way to run a business. Seems strange for amazon to propose entering into a house instead of just selling a locked box that you and deliveries could use.
  - TheAdamAndChe 9y ago
    > Does seem like a bad way to run a business. This is how businesses maximize profits nowadays. Nearly all new jobs since the recession have been unstable contract jobs, and nearly 40% of workers nowadays don't have stable jobs[1]. This is why even though unemployment is incredibly low, inflation has been flat: workers lack the leverage required to experience wage gains. [1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/elainepofeldt/2015/05/25/shocker-40-of-workers-now-have-contingent-jobs-says-u-s-government/#6528a52514be https://www.forbes.com/sites/elainepofeldt/2015/05/25/shocke...
  - user5994461 9y ago
    As in all labor intensive industries that require no particular skill. Turnover is not an issue, it's a consequence. You can't significantly improve the job and the work conditions, it is what it is. You can't pay more, that'd impact costs too significantly. The consequence is high turnover and you can't fix the root cause. Lucky you, there is an endless supply of fresh blood that can and are willing to do the job so it's a viable business model.
deweller 9y ago
There are a lot easier ways to break into a house than to do it through the front door while access is logged and you are being monitored by a video camera.
- williamscales 9y ago
  To some extent, practical security isn't about closing off every avenue of attack. Obscuring obvious avenues of exploitation is a big part of it since most crimes are crimes of opportunity. I would be worried that an Amazon employee who is somewhat dishonest might feel tempted by the previously inaccessible opportunity to enter my home.
- madhadron 9y ago
  No, but it's a great way to case a house to see if you should come back later.
mrits 9y ago
In a house with multiple people using Prime this could get pretty awkward. I rarely answer my door or even look to see who is there when someone knocks. Last thing I want is Mr.Amazon walking in my living room while I'm on the phone.
nl 9y ago
Err.. markets aren't democracy: "voting against" something just means you don't use it. What this poll actually shows is that Amazon already has 32% of people who want this is some form. This is kind of like those "if we can just get 1% of 1% of the population we will make millions" things, except in this case they have 38%(!) The product managers of this service must be beyond joyful seeing acceptance like this.
- mikeash 9y ago
  Yeah, the headline doesn't seem to be remotely correct for the numbers in the poll. I assumed "people don't want" meant that the acceptance rate was some tiny number, like 1%. But no, 15% of adults are "very comfortable" with it, that's huge! Another 13% are "somewhat comfortable," making it even huger. A better headline might be, "Poll Shows 70 Million American Adults Comfortable With Amazon Deliveries Into Homes."
leggomylibro 9y ago
They have a separate pilot program for letting residences/communities/etc buy one of their 'lockers' - freestanding lockers that they deliver to and give you a code to type into for picking up your package. Seems better for most situations, but it might be the sort of thing where you need a few dozen people to sign up for your location before they'll give you one.
yeukhon 9y ago
Solutions 1. Every house installs a dropoff box. This box allows owner to activate or deactivate which delivery companies get to access it I like this. No more write special delivery note. 2. Open more amazon lockers that allow bigger sizes and more flexible delivery time Actually #1 is the right solution
- ekianjo 9y ago
  Yes. And that system should be open and not tied to a specific delivery company.
  - yeukhon 9y ago
    Yes. I was looking to build one but I stopped because I have to provide a delivery note. If not major ecommerce website I have to remember to add such note. — will the delivery person sees the note is also a betting game. This dropoff box is nothing but a larger mailbox. BTW in some states in America, your mailbox must meet certain standard....
    - derekp7 9y ago
      I thought about building a box that auto-locks when the weight of a package is detected in it. Can be a simple flap on the bottom that moves a latch. The lid would be a double lid -- an outside lid with a key lock, and the inside frame that the flap-activated latch slides into.
- submeta 9y ago
  #1 is the solution we need. And a great business idea.
- chatmasta 9y ago
  And when you receive a package, the flag is up? Sounds like a mailbox, just bigger. The real complication is not isolated houses, but apartment buildings with shared entryways and/or limited space.
mynegation 9y ago
I wish Amazon went for low hanging fruit in select markets. In Toronto, Canada, if given the option, I always prefer FlexDelivery, when I can choose delivery to any post office even if it is not anywhere close to my home. It is much easier for me to mosey up to the post office steps away from my office in downtown and then bring stuff home, than try to make it to the office in my neighbourhood before closing. Unfortunately, too many shippers do not support FlexDelivery, and this is a hassle. Amazon could start with that or strategically place the electronic lockboxes around downtown: the ridiculous amount of people work in a relatively small area of downtown core.
ckdarby 9y ago
Same thing everyone said with Uber & Airbnb.
sergers 9y ago
I wouldn't allow Amazon or any stranger in my house without me being there. They're making this optional only if wanted so I this doesn't matter to me I'm sure some people have some value. For lower-cost items Amazon just puts it under my welcome mat (just got one today under the mat) at my front door that is covered. From the street u can see there is a package as it there is only shade and not well lit. A few times they have called me especially in bad weather conditions on where to leave. Like leaving it in the backyard under the covered deck or with the renter in my basement Suite
rabboRubble 9y ago
There is already a solution out there and it works. Japan has something called Takyubin-box. Delivery person arrives at door, nobody home, opens box, puts in package, sets a pincode, puts pincode in person's mailbox, person comes home, retrieves packages. Some T-boxes are enabled with fancy features, some have simple tumbler locks with manual one-time code setting. I can't believe Bezos and company can't take that concept and retool for the US market.
- krapp 9y ago
  Those exist in the US as well.
keerthiko 9y ago
I would let a delivery drone have access into my house. Not a human. I would happily install a remotely accessible window not accessible from the street, and give amazon the authentication to open it and close it for their drone to drop stuff in my house, IF losing packages was a recurrent problem for me. It isn't, but drone delivery is plausible in future so worth thinking about.
chiefalchemist 9y ago
I read (read: scrolled through) the original survey. For those who did not / will not: - It's long. - It's mostly about products being Made in America. - The question in question is near the end (which could contribute to taker fatigue) - The question in question makes no mention of Amazon. In the case of this service, brand matters. - I didn't see anything (read: I could have missed it) saying if these are Amazon customers or not. - I didnt see any question along the lines of: Has a delivered package ever been stolen from your porch? This idea is new. No doubt some people won't use it, at least not right away. But it could catch on. Maybe. That being said, I don't see this survey being a good indicator. It feels far from a ideal survey (to me).

Then those people don't have to use the service.

tlb 9y ago

For historical perspective, I remember in 1996 when polls said most people would never use their credit cards to buy things over the internet. Bezos surely remembers that too.

marlokk 9y ago
Exactly, what the results of this poll really indicate is that amazon customers' houses should be used as warehouses.
sidlls 9y ago
I wonder if there are any differences between using a credit card online and allowing strangers entry into one's home.
islanderfun 9y ago
Bingo. We were taught not get in a car with strangers or meet people online. Uber and Tinder are things.
synicalx 9y ago
To be fair, lots of people use debit Visa/Mastercard cards instead. If I had a credit card, I don't think I'd be comfortable buying something online with it.
- ghaff 9y ago
  The risk is pretty much the opposite of what you think it is. One gives access to your bank account. The other you are protected from paying fraudulent charges.

moonka 9y ago

If I had a separate mudroom I'd consider it, but having dogs makes it a no-go as it is set up. I'm surprised Amazon hasn't set up a "Amazon Locker" style box that you can get placed on your porch for deliveries. A relatively small one would take care of 90% of my packages.

corvallis 9y ago
Amazon doesn't have to set this up. I know a handful of people who bought a durable plastic trunk for their porch, and leave it open with a padlock available. There's a sign on it instructing for deliveries to be placed in the trunk and then padlocked. They have the key and are able to retrieve it when they get home from work.
- ghaff 9y ago
  And, frankly, just asking for deliveries to be put in a plastic bin probably helps a lot at the margins. Never been an issue for me but just not having a package in visible sight can probably be useful.

imgabe 9y ago

Who are they polling? I think there's a fairly limited amount of people who would really want this, and lot of people who wouldn't. You need to live in a city, but not in an apartment building, which is a pretty small (and wealthy) proportion of people. If you live in the suburbs or the country, you probably don't mind leaving packages on the porch. In the city if you don't have a doorman, a package is almost guaranteed to get stolen. Homicidal maniacs who want to kill total strangers for no reason are pretty rare. Packages thieves are ubiquitous.

k_sh 9y ago
> In the city if you don't have a doorman, a package is almost guaranteed to get stolen. I'm guessing you're in NYC? Doormen are not common in LA/SF.
djrogers 9y ago
> In the city if you don't have a doorman, a package is almost guaranteed to get stolen. That’s taking a pretty narrow view of ‘the city’ - very few places on the west coast have a doorman for example (I’ve never actually seen one), and there are plenty of cities where you could have a package not stolen. Of course if your definition of a ‘city’ only includes Manhattan then you may be correct.
- always_good 9y ago
  I'm not sure what your point is. Theft doesn't have to be a common event for it to ruin your day once it does happen to you.
- ng12 9y ago
  Not sure why you're singling out Manhattan: Queens and Brooklyn are famously unsafe for packages. Even when I lived in the Sunset (the sleepy half of SF) I had packages go missing. In fact I would argue that if a package can reliably last 8 hours on your porch you don't live in a city (at least for the purposes of this discussion).
eli 9y ago
Actually I think there's a big opportunity for Amazon to convince the building management or condo boards of non-doorman apartment buildings that this is something they want.

snapetom 9y ago

If this is Amazon's solution to missing packages, it's the wrong one. I've never had an issue with Amazon delivery until they used their own drivers. I now frequently have my packages never arrive (I have cameras on my porch. Not being stolen) and four times in the last six months have received a delivery for someone else. It isn't like a package for my next door neighbor, either. They're packages to addresses up to three miles away. If Amazon wants to reduce missing packages, they need to hire drivers who actually give a shit or go back to using USPS/FedEx/UPS.

ducttape12 9y ago
Agreed. In my area, 2 day shipping usually uses either UPS or USPS. Same day shipping uses their drivers. I've given up expecting it same day.
sliken 9y ago
Had some issues with an amazon delivery and talked to the driver about fixing it for next time. They shrugged and said amazon pays like crap and the driver turn over is high. So high that I'd likely not get the same driver for my next delivery. Does seem like a bad way to run a business. Seems strange for amazon to propose entering into a house instead of just selling a locked box that you and deliveries could use.
- TheAdamAndChe 9y ago
  > Does seem like a bad way to run a business. This is how businesses maximize profits nowadays. Nearly all new jobs since the recession have been unstable contract jobs, and nearly 40% of workers nowadays don't have stable jobs[1]. This is why even though unemployment is incredibly low, inflation has been flat: workers lack the leverage required to experience wage gains. [1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/elainepofeldt/2015/05/25/shocker-40-of-workers-now-have-contingent-jobs-says-u-s-government/#6528a52514be https://www.forbes.com/sites/elainepofeldt/2015/05/25/shocke...
- user5994461 9y ago
  As in all labor intensive industries that require no particular skill. Turnover is not an issue, it's a consequence. You can't significantly improve the job and the work conditions, it is what it is. You can't pay more, that'd impact costs too significantly. The consequence is high turnover and you can't fix the root cause. Lucky you, there is an endless supply of fresh blood that can and are willing to do the job so it's a viable business model.

deweller 9y ago

There are a lot easier ways to break into a house than to do it through the front door while access is logged and you are being monitored by a video camera.

williamscales 9y ago
To some extent, practical security isn't about closing off every avenue of attack. Obscuring obvious avenues of exploitation is a big part of it since most crimes are crimes of opportunity. I would be worried that an Amazon employee who is somewhat dishonest might feel tempted by the previously inaccessible opportunity to enter my home.
madhadron 9y ago
No, but it's a great way to case a house to see if you should come back later.

mrits 9y ago

In a house with multiple people using Prime this could get pretty awkward. I rarely answer my door or even look to see who is there when someone knocks. Last thing I want is Mr.Amazon walking in my living room while I'm on the phone.

nl 9y ago

Err.. markets aren't democracy: "voting against" something just means you don't use it. What this poll actually shows is that Amazon already has 32% of people who want this is some form. This is kind of like those "if we can just get 1% of 1% of the population we will make millions" things, except in this case they have 38%(!) The product managers of this service must be beyond joyful seeing acceptance like this.

mikeash 9y ago
Yeah, the headline doesn't seem to be remotely correct for the numbers in the poll. I assumed "people don't want" meant that the acceptance rate was some tiny number, like 1%. But no, 15% of adults are "very comfortable" with it, that's huge! Another 13% are "somewhat comfortable," making it even huger. A better headline might be, "Poll Shows 70 Million American Adults Comfortable With Amazon Deliveries Into Homes."

leggomylibro 9y ago

They have a separate pilot program for letting residences/communities/etc buy one of their 'lockers' - freestanding lockers that they deliver to and give you a code to type into for picking up your package. Seems better for most situations, but it might be the sort of thing where you need a few dozen people to sign up for your location before they'll give you one.

yeukhon 9y ago

Solutions 1. Every house installs a dropoff box. This box allows owner to activate or deactivate which delivery companies get to access it I like this. No more write special delivery note. 2. Open more amazon lockers that allow bigger sizes and more flexible delivery time Actually #1 is the right solution

ekianjo 9y ago
Yes. And that system should be open and not tied to a specific delivery company.
- yeukhon 9y ago
  Yes. I was looking to build one but I stopped because I have to provide a delivery note. If not major ecommerce website I have to remember to add such note. — will the delivery person sees the note is also a betting game. This dropoff box is nothing but a larger mailbox. BTW in some states in America, your mailbox must meet certain standard....
  - derekp7 9y ago
    I thought about building a box that auto-locks when the weight of a package is detected in it. Can be a simple flap on the bottom that moves a latch. The lid would be a double lid -- an outside lid with a key lock, and the inside frame that the flap-activated latch slides into.
submeta 9y ago
#1 is the solution we need. And a great business idea.
chatmasta 9y ago
And when you receive a package, the flag is up? Sounds like a mailbox, just bigger. The real complication is not isolated houses, but apartment buildings with shared entryways and/or limited space.

mynegation 9y ago

I wish Amazon went for low hanging fruit in select markets. In Toronto, Canada, if given the option, I always prefer FlexDelivery, when I can choose delivery to any post office even if it is not anywhere close to my home. It is much easier for me to mosey up to the post office steps away from my office in downtown and then bring stuff home, than try to make it to the office in my neighbourhood before closing. Unfortunately, too many shippers do not support FlexDelivery, and this is a hassle. Amazon could start with that or strategically place the electronic lockboxes around downtown: the ridiculous amount of people work in a relatively small area of downtown core.

ckdarby 9y ago

Same thing everyone said with Uber & Airbnb.

sergers 9y ago

I wouldn't allow Amazon or any stranger in my house without me being there. They're making this optional only if wanted so I this doesn't matter to me I'm sure some people have some value. For lower-cost items Amazon just puts it under my welcome mat (just got one today under the mat) at my front door that is covered. From the street u can see there is a package as it there is only shade and not well lit. A few times they have called me especially in bad weather conditions on where to leave. Like leaving it in the backyard under the covered deck or with the renter in my basement Suite

rabboRubble 9y ago

There is already a solution out there and it works. Japan has something called Takyubin-box. Delivery person arrives at door, nobody home, opens box, puts in package, sets a pincode, puts pincode in person's mailbox, person comes home, retrieves packages. Some T-boxes are enabled with fancy features, some have simple tumbler locks with manual one-time code setting. I can't believe Bezos and company can't take that concept and retool for the US market.

krapp 9y ago
Those exist in the US as well.

keerthiko 9y ago

I would let a delivery drone have access into my house. Not a human. I would happily install a remotely accessible window not accessible from the street, and give amazon the authentication to open it and close it for their drone to drop stuff in my house, IF losing packages was a recurrent problem for me. It isn't, but drone delivery is plausible in future so worth thinking about.

chiefalchemist 9y ago

I read (read: scrolled through) the original survey. For those who did not / will not: - It's long. - It's mostly about products being Made in America. - The question in question is near the end (which could contribute to taker fatigue) - The question in question makes no mention of Amazon. In the case of this service, brand matters. - I didn't see anything (read: I could have missed it) saying if these are Amazon customers or not. - I didnt see any question along the lines of: Has a delivered package ever been stolen from your porch? This idea is new. No doubt some people won't use it, at least not right away. But it could catch on. Maybe. That being said, I don't see this survey being a good indicator. It feels far from a ideal survey (to me).