UNITY – With the season of giving creeping up on us all, online shoppers are busy searching for those one-of-a-kind gifts. Even with enough time for delivery, sometimes those precious buys seem to disappear into the abyss.
The biggest complaint from online purchasers is that they are not notified of how their parcels will be delivered. With this unknown bit of information, it is hard to know what address to put. The staff at the Unity Canada Post office have been able to help with a work-around.
Some online retailers will not deliver parcels that have a box number. For communities that do not have a central depot or unable to get to the industrial area, this can be problematic.
“If you put your physical address first followed by a comma and just the number of your box, it has been working for us quite well,” says Alison Timms, clerk at the Unity Canada Post office.
An example of this option would be 123 - 1st W, 111. This gives staff your physical address along with your box number.
“This way saves us lots of time looking up box numbers, especially as we start into the holiday season,” adds Timms.
Lonestar Auto Repair and Towing Ltd. is the Purolator pick up and drop off for the town of Unity. They have seen the influx of deliveries. One thing they would like to see for future deliveries is to include a phone number.
“We have had parcels dropped off where we don’t know who the owner is. If there is no phone number, those parcels can sit here for quite a while,” said Lonestar staff.
When there is no way to contact the intended recipient, Lonestar will return to sender if not picked up in a timely manner.
They prefer parcels to be picked up as quickly as possible, to help alleviate the number of parcels they must look after.
Some places are unable to deliver to the post office and to the depot, so home it must be. If your parcel is small enough to hide, make sure that location is relayed on the delivery notes so porch pirates don’t run off with your treasures, or try to ensure someone is home to accept the parcel. If those are not an option, ask a trusted neighbour or friend to check in until you are home.
Above all, check your online tracking on a regular basis as well, keep track of what you have all ordered and be sure to order with plenty of time before it is too late.
