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The distribution center is usually a nightmare to travel to. I've lived in NYC and Berlin and both systems are disasters in their own way. Here in Berlin someon

The distribution center is usually a nightmare to travel to. I've lived in NYC and Berlin and both systems are disasters in their own way. Here in Berlin someone is always posting a note in the stairwell that a package was delivered and they aren't sure who in the building has it. And what if it was left with a neighbor who has a schedule opposite yours and you don't have a phone number for? An abundance of packages disappear in both systems. Although if your package happens to be left at a local Spati/Bodega/corner store instead of with a neighbor the German system works out pretty well.

Semaphor 7y ago
> Here in Berlin someone is always posting a note in the stairwell that a package was delivered and they aren't sure who in the building has it. Well, they are supposed to tell you where they left the package. In that case I’d probably tell the sender it wasn’t delivered and leave the delivery service to bear the cost if they can’t remember where it ended up. > And what if it was left with a neighbor who has a schedule opposite yours and you don't have a phone number for? I find that improbable. But if after a few days there was no contact whatsoever I’d simply drop a note with my phone number in their mailbox reminding them that I have their package ;) > An abundance of packages disappear in both systems. Never had problems unless it was Hermes, and even that is somewhat rare (happened twice in 15 years), but then I live in a vastly smaller city (pop 200k) than Berlin.
- yorwba 7y ago
  I suspect a lot of this depends on the specific neighbor and delivery driver in question. I live on the ground floor and am frequently home when packages are delivered, so I end up handling a lot of packages. Most neighbors show up within a day whith a postcard the delivery driver put in their mailbox. The worst delay was when someone ordered a surfboard which didn't arrive until he'd left for vacation and then I left for vacation before he came back, so he got the package a couple of weeks later. But in that case it was basically the same as getting it a day late, since he didn't get to surf on it either way. The weirdest part about seeing so many of my neighbors' packages is how much I learn about their consumption habits. There's the lady who orders two big boxes of cat food whenever there's a discount, the guy who uses his Amazon Prime account to its fullest, the guy who ordered a 50-inch TV without telling his wife (who came to collect the package), the guy who ordered a bunch of different hats (he didn't like the first few after trying them on), the guy who orders tools and parts for his motorcycle...

Semaphor 7y ago

> Here in Berlin someone is always posting a note in the stairwell that a package was delivered and they aren't sure who in the building has it. Well, they are supposed to tell you where they left the package. In that case I’d probably tell the sender it wasn’t delivered and leave the delivery service to bear the cost if they can’t remember where it ended up. > And what if it was left with a neighbor who has a schedule opposite yours and you don't have a phone number for? I find that improbable. But if after a few days there was no contact whatsoever I’d simply drop a note with my phone number in their mailbox reminding them that I have their package ;) > An abundance of packages disappear in both systems. Never had problems unless it was Hermes, and even that is somewhat rare (happened twice in 15 years), but then I live in a vastly smaller city (pop 200k) than Berlin.

yorwba 7y ago
I suspect a lot of this depends on the specific neighbor and delivery driver in question. I live on the ground floor and am frequently home when packages are delivered, so I end up handling a lot of packages. Most neighbors show up within a day whith a postcard the delivery driver put in their mailbox. The worst delay was when someone ordered a surfboard which didn't arrive until he'd left for vacation and then I left for vacation before he came back, so he got the package a couple of weeks later. But in that case it was basically the same as getting it a day late, since he didn't get to surf on it either way. The weirdest part about seeing so many of my neighbors' packages is how much I learn about their consumption habits. There's the lady who orders two big boxes of cat food whenever there's a discount, the guy who uses his Amazon Prime account to its fullest, the guy who ordered a 50-inch TV without telling his wife (who came to collect the package), the guy who ordered a bunch of different hats (he didn't like the first few after trying them on), the guy who orders tools and parts for his motorcycle...