Receiving Deliveries In An Apartment Building

US Postal Service

Living as I do, as a single retired senior citizen without a vehicle, I rely on buying things I need or use online. That means I get many deliveries. Sometime through FedEx or UPS. Most times through the US Postal Service. Sometimes I like one better than the others. Sometimes not so much. It has been only within the last year or so that I started getting deliveries on Sundays. It didn't really matter to me if they came on Sunday or not because I was used to waiting until Monday for the delivery anyway. Those deliveries are usually from Amazon and don't always come through the post office. 

Intercom System in Entrance

Where I live we have locked doors to our lobby. Our mailboxes are in there. So whoever delivers our mail or our packages has to come inside the building. You cannot just leave them outside the doors like some have been doing. One Walmart Delivery person left 3 bags of groceries in the entrance of my building! Anyone could pick it up there! There is an intercom system right at the entrance to the lobby. Just push a button to whatever apartment you have a delivery for and that tenant will open the lobby door for you (from their apartment). So easy! Yet these delivery people do not know how to use one! 

Last week I placed an order with Amazon for three different sets of gel pens. Three different colors. I believe they were from the same seller's store on Amazon. One set came within a couple days inside my mailbox. The next one came a day later but outside the lobby in the entrance in a chair. It was directly under the intercom (that the delivery person could not figure out how to use). The last set is the blue ones that I have been excitedly waiting for (of course). This set has taken a trip back and forth to Norwich, NY (where I live) from Syracuse. The funny thing is the post office is two blocks from where I live and twice it has been inside their building waiting to be delivered! Instead they sent it back! It took SEVEN days to get from NJ to here! That is, IF they actually deliver it today. My Informed Delivery email today said it would arrive today. I shall see.

I think these delivery services, whether it is packages, groceries or even food from restaurants need to teach a class to these people. One entitled, How to Use Good Sense to Delivery Items So Customers Actually Receive Them. I realize they are in a hurry to make the delivery. But if the customer does not receive it due to where you left it then you did not make the delivery. Ask yourself, "Is this spot safe from someone stealing packages?" Outside a building would be red flag to most people. Why is ringing an intercom so difficult for some? When they ring mine, I go right downstairs to get it. They don't even have to come up to my apartment.

Doors locked!

I am changing a couple of things I do from now on. I chose one certain day of the week for Amazon deliveries. Amazon said sometimes they may not come on that day and of course, that defeats the purpose of it. It is worth a try though. I will not choose a week-end day. Maybe a Tuesday would be a good choice. I will stop ordering groceries on week-ends and choose one certain day of the week for those deliveries. The regular mailman who comes to my building must have a key to the building as he has no problem with deliveries. So sticking to weekdays would be the thing to do.

Stairs to the lobby doors are steep!

Another thing these delivery people do is to leave heavy boxes at the bottom of the stairs in the entrance. The sign on our building clearly states it is senior housing. So they must know we are not capable of carrying heavy boxes up the stairs! I have struggled with getting my pet bunny's box of hay up the stairs more than a few times. Yet a number of times I open my apartment door to find someone delivered the hay right to my apartment door! It is not that difficult for someone to do the job they were hired to do. Just do it the best you can. Don't do it halfway. I am one of those customers who writes reviews or answers the email that the company sends me asking how the delivery went. I tell them the truth. So if you do a good job I will tell them that too.

Copyright © 2024 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2024  Kathleen G. Lupole

Who's Closet Would You Like To Shop From?

There is a new mobile and web marketplace in the internet world.  It is called hipswap and it is the new kid in town! I saw the link to it and thought, "well, it won't hurt to take a peek at it." When I saw it, it really caught my eye! It has a modern design with a fresh new look. Kind of artsy looking. I liked it! I think you would too. It sounds like fun and I am ready to sign up. 

This is what I understand about it. Anyone can sell or buy to people near your location. You can list your items for sale. Upload a photo and it will sit there until your item sells. It has a 3.5% transaction fee. That is the only fee they charge. Use Paypal for your payments and you are all set. 

Do you make your own crafts? Perfect for HipSwap! Do you sell vintage posters or other vintage items? Check out HipSwap! Are you a designer and frustrated with selling on your own website? Maybe HipSwap is that extra something you are looking for!

Kyle Richards, of the television show, Real Housewives, is the first celebrity to sign up. Their "Shop My Closet" is a feature where you can shop the closets of famous celebrities. Looks like this could be our next hottest website. What do you think? What celebrity's closet or home would you like to shop at?

Another nifty thing about it is that if you live in LA, they will deliver!

Copyright © 2012 Kathleen G. Lupole

FTC Blogging Disclosure

Shopping At Alice Makes My Life Easier!

My order arrived in 2 days!

I have started ordering from Alice regularly now. It is making my life so much easier. Walking in the stores has become very difficult for me due to me having bad knees. I prefer to go to smaller stores because they are easier. Ordering from Alice is a very nice alternative for me. Not only does it save me from walking in the stores trying to find my products. Many times they do not have exactly what I want. Now I can order exactly what I want. It also saves me from having to drive anywhere on these snow covered icy roads. I placed my order on Wednesday and it was here on Friday. Can't beat that for fast shipping!

 Securely packaged in a heavy box!

I first shopped at Alice in September of last year and wrote about it in this post, Thinking Of Shopping At Alice.com? Everything I wrote in that blog post still holds true. All the items were packaged securely and the tops were tapped down on the liquids, such as the Dawn dish detergent. I felt the prices were very good compared to what I pay locally. It only differed by a few cents. The shipping is free and my order was very heavy. I think I got a great deal from Alice!

The last time I ordered they included a little free sample bag with a Bic disposable razor. I had ordered a bag of Gillette disposable razors for my husband. So when he used the free sample Bic razor, he liked it a whole lot better than the Gillette ones. Plus, it lasted longer for more shaves. So I ordered a package of the Bic Comfort 3 Advance razors for him. This time though, the free sample was for Propel Zero. It won't be something we will use. It has a list of ingredients that don't belong in anything I would be drinking!

Emptying the box out!

For the most part, everyone is pretty used to shopping online now. But Alice is such a pleasant shopping experience that I hate to finish my order and leave! I love to go to their site and plan my next shopping trip with them. So by the time I can go shop again, my cart is usually waiting to be checked out. Not that many sites are that easy to use. I can't think of one thing I don't like about Alice. Have you shopped there yet? If so what did you especially like about it? Convenience? Yes! I liked that too. Brand name good quality products? Me too! 

I am not being paid or compensated in any way for this post by Alice. I wish I was! But no free products or anything from them for writing this post. My thought is that maybe there are others who have considered purchasing from them and were afraid to make that first order. Well, I'd like to see them stay in business and add more products to their store. I am a very happy customer and will be placing many more orders with them.

Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2011  Kathleen G. Lupole

Convenience Includes Homemade Foods Too!

Living Secluded Makes Buying Online A Good Option!

Are you the type of person who is loyal to shopping at a certain store? Or do you comparison shop? Some people will drive all over for the best deals. I, on the other hand, like to shop at local stores that I know. I have been trying to get into the routine of ordering online. I know, I know, I should keep my money in my community. But my community does not shop for guitar strings in my online stores. So I like to shop online to help other online sellers. I admit that I like to shop online for convenience. Sometimes the price is higher, sometimes not. And especially not if I have to pay for the gas, and the time it takes me away from my business. Besides I hate to leave home!

For the eleven years that I have lived here, I have bought gas and pizzas and last minute items at the convenience store in our little town of Oxford, NY. There are only two convenience stores in Oxford, a drug store (not a chain, privately owned), a Dollar General and our hardware store which also sells feed for our horses, as well as other animals. There are a sprinkling of other small businesses and a couple of bars and restaurants.

I am one of those people who like to shop at the same store over and over. I don't really pay attention to the prices that often, as many times it is only a few cents in either direction. I have always liked to go into a store and know the clerks, the managers and even recognize some of the other customers when I go in. That friendly town atmosphere that even prevails in our super Walmart.


With the price of things going up and up though, I am changing some of my habits. Our convenience store has also raised their prices. Two bags of ice there last week went to $4.78! Wow, I can buy it at Walmart or Dollar General for only $1.40 a bag! That is an excessive mark up! Their pizza also went way up. And it always depends on who is working as to how much you pay. The last time we bought a chicken wing pizza that consists of only chicken in a wing sauce on the pizza and they charged us $8.98 extra for toppings. So no more pizzas which we used to order at least once a week, ordering three every time so we could have leftovers for breakfast. I used to always make our own and now I am back to that. Going to make our own chicken wing pizzas, and maybe I will post the recipe after I get it worked out.

Convenience to me means buying in bulk so I can make as much food as possible from scratch. When I post on this blog about making bread or anything else from scratch it seems to get more comments. I think more people want to do these things than I knew. You don't have to be a homesteader to make your own foods. You can spend a whole week-end baking bread and making your meals for the whole month from scratch and freeze them if you have that option. There are many websites that have recipes for you to make and freeze, but you can just use your own recipes and do it yourself.

If you already do this, post in the comment section and let me know. I'd like to do this more when I get my solar refrigeration and freezer. But I will always can foods instead of freezing them. I like them better canned and they are more convenient in the long run. And available for a very quick meal. What about you? What do you do for meals? Especially for people working an outside job and have children. That is a tough job. How do you handle all that and make meals too?

Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole

Thinking Of Shopping At Alice.Com?

My order from alice.com arrived yesterday!

Tuesday of this week I placed an order at Alice.com for some of our household products. It arrived yesterday, Thursday, only two days later! I am so pleased with their service. It was easy to place the order, as their website is easy to use. Then the fact that it arrived very quickly was a BIG plus in my book! I had written in an earlier post, The Automating Process On Our Homestead, about the fact that I am trying to automate our life and homestead. This is one of the most important factors......purchasing our supplies. I am not receiving ANY sort of payment or products for writing this post about alice.com. I am just a VERY happy customer!

For me, walking through Walmart has become a nightmare. It is too big for me to buy my cat food and dog treats in one end, and then walk all the way to the far corner for dairy products. Now I will be ordering everything I possibly can online. Alice.com is just the beginning. Following my low carb diet has improved my walking ability tremendously, but I don't think walking through a huge store is worth it. I would rather walk in my forest, in my horses' paddock or down to our little creek.

Opened the box!

Our order arrived yesterday in the pouring rain, delivered by UPS. How nice I didn't have to drive in the rain to the store! I opened the box to find all our products neatly packed and very secure. They used the recycled film plastic things that cushioned our order in the box for protection. Nothing was damaged or leaking. I was very happy with the order.

Some of our supplies.

Now you may be wondering why I would order our paper products online? Well, I only use the Select-A-Size paper towels made by Bounty. We also use Cottonelle toilet tissue and I will not change to another brand. I cannot get them all the time. I would look in Walmart, and then at our local Dollar General or Price Chopper occasionally. But can't always find them. Price Chopper usually will have them, but it is way to crowded for me..........and another of those mammoth stores.

Nikita's dog food!

It seems that if I use something, everyone else must buy it up, or the stores don't order enough of it. I have three cats who are older, one has no teeth (not my fault, she was a stray) and one who has that "tortie attitude" and they only eat ground (or now called......pate), and I cannot always find it. My dog hates dog food anyway, but will eat Pedigree's ground food only. She hates chunks or any kind of gravy. Nothing wrong with her teeth at 12 years old, she loves raw meat and bones. So I was able to find the dog food there. I am still hoping for the brand of pate cat food at Alice.com that we use.

Liquid products traveled well!

The liquid products such as my son's Old Spice body wash, my Dawn detergent and Ivory liquid soap were bagged up in a large zip loc bag. The caps were tapped down securely with a heavy duty shipping tape. I felt my order was packaged up by someone who cared that it made it to my house safely and securely. 

The box says it all!

Another feature on Alice.com is that your products will stay in your account. Then when you shop again, they will all come up in your "My products" area which is your shopping list. You then add whatever product to your shopping list or cart for that order. You don't have to search their site for those products ever again. I will be setting up the automating of my products as I see how long it takes for me to use these products. You can set it so that when you need to reorder something, they will send you a reminder that it is time to reorder. I love it and look forward to them adding more and more products! 

Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole