Do Hoboken lobby deliveries make sense with all the theft?

12/13/2012 Update:

Myself and Hoboken411 Mascot Oscar walk the equivalent of about two full marathons a week (that’s what my FitBit Activity Tracking Device tells me at least). And during the course of our travels – we see dozens of prime opportunities for cunning thieves to get away with valuable goods.

So many lobbies in multi-unit condominium or rental apartment buildings are stuffed to the gills with UPS or FedEx deliveries – in plain sight!

And year after year, we hear about how “boxes are stolen” from lobbies just like this.

Thieves have a million ways to gain easy entrance to said lobbies – just by ringing buzzers. People just do not care if they can verify the identity of the person ringing… they just unlock the door.

Top 5 Recommendations to avoid lobby theft in Hoboken:

  1. Never have deliveries sent to your apartment if you’re typically not home. As a reminder, you can:
    • Befriend a local business (dry cleaner, bodega, etc.) and have your shipments sent there,
    • Use a place like Go Postal that will receive your boxes for a modest fee (and even deliver them when convenient)

  2. Tell your condo to either move or block the mailbox area – or install frosted glass doors outside.

  3. Have your stuff shipped to your work (if you’re not too weak and lazy to use a little effort to carry it home…)

  4. Live in a better building (i.e., with a concierge – but the drawback is that they’ll see you stumble home drunk missing a heel…)

  5. Stop buying so much shit online

How often does your building get boxes nicked like shooting fish in a barrel?

Constant Hoboken Problem: Stolen Deliveries

6/2/2011 Update:

Have you seen this man?

He’s suspected of nicking packages from a residential building at 300 Newark Street. If you have any information – please contact Hoboken Police at 201-420-2100.

Happens every year in Hoboken: Stolen deliveries!

12/3/2010 Update:

This is one post that you can be sure gets “bumped” year after year – multi-unit buildings where UPS and FedEx drivers leave boxes in the lobby. Guess what? Someone steals your stuff! Read below to see what Hoboken411 reader Courtney has to say about this year’s Mile Square crime wave…

“Starting last week after Thanksgiving, our building has been experiencing a high number of stolen packages from our vestibule and front hallway. We tried leaving a note on the door to not leave packages unattended, but it was taken down presumably by the person stealing the packages. One of my fellow building mates spoke with the UPS Path Truck guy and he said they’ve been getting a lot of complaints about this recently and that maybe someone is following the truck around. (I had packages taken that were delivered by UPS, USPS, and Fedex).

Has anyone filed a police report with something similar to this? My husband is ready to get all “veronica mars” on their ass with tracking devices in boxes. I doubt that will work.

Anyway, just thought I’d give a heads up to make sure people get their holiday packages! Luckily, so far all but 1 of the retailers that I purchased from either refunded me my money or re-sent the shipment, but it’s frustrating to not be able to get anything to my house.”

Stolen Hoboken deliveries on the rise: Unemployment to blame?

2/5/2009:

I just needed to bump this thread because with the unemployment rate going up – and especially because I heard a Hoboken411 reader over the Live Police and Action Channel – the pilferage appears to be on the rise once again…

Nicked deliveries & Hoboken are synonymous…

12/23/2008:

Just about two years ago – I published an entry about the annual ritual of stolen or missing UPS/FedEx deliveries in Hoboken (see my great advice and suggestions below).

But Hoboken411 reader Cheaphobo is having all sorts of problems with lost/missing/stolen deliveries in their building. She wants to know if others are having similar problems – and what they’re doing about it.

Have you experienced crappy delivery (or missing packages) too?

stolen-shipments-in-hoboken-nj.jpg

Are you having trouble with your shipments?

12/22/2006:

The crime meter has been a little out of control the past week, and it’s been kind of hard to keep up along with the mayhem of the holiday season. But a lot’s been happening, despite it not making it to the incident map above. So here’s a condensed version of a trend that’s been taking place recently in Hoboken.

crates.gifStolen parcel deliveries. Or to the petty criminal in town, “Christmas Shopping.”

In the past two days, there have been at least 4 known reported incidents of strange vehicles pulling up to apartment buildings, walking in and then walking out with boxes, then quickly pulling away. Witnesses reported at least two of the cars license plates, and both times cars came out of Jersey City. No word if they were caught.

But people really need to be careful with their deliveries. Just because you live in a buzzer building doesn’t mean your merchandise is safe from plundering thieves (and even sticky-fingered neighbors.) Here’s some 411 advice:

  1. If your items are small enough to carry comfortably, always have them ship to your place of work.

  2. If you have larger items, befriend a local merchant. There’s certainly a dry cleaner, bodega or other store you frequent often that will be more than happy to take your deliveries. It’s what living in a community is all about.

  3. NEVER use ridiculous services such as that doorman to your door or whatever its called. A complete rip-off that defeats the purpose of buying online.

  4. Last case scenario, you can use The Mailboxes, Etc. (RIP 2008) as a depot for your deliveries (but requires a monthly fee.)

What are your experiences? Ever had something nicked from your building? Do you have alternate delivery methods?

Hoboken NJ

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