Urban Amenity: Pick Up UPS Packages at the Dry Cleaner or Pharmacy

”The folks that live in cities—if they’re not home and they don’t have a doorman, they can’t get a package," says Alan Gershenhorn, chief commercial officer at United Parcel Service (UPS). And even if they are home in an apartment building, the driver may be unable to contact them to sign for their delivery.

"Called 'Access Point', (the project) is designed for people who work, as well as those who live in big cities, where packages left on doorsteps could be stolen," writes Laura Stevens of The Wall Street Journal. 

The new delivery points are designed to coordinate with the company’s app, My Choice, which allows users to instruct drivers to leave packages in certain places or sign for them remotely.

It saves money for UPS as well as missed deliveries for its customers, as the project reduces delivery stops by "allowing customers to pick up their packages at dry cleaners, convenience stores and pharmacies," she writes.

UPS said it surveyed shoppers earlier this year and found that about a third of those living in an urban area said it would be convenient to have items shipped to a local retailer when they aren’t home to receive it themselves.

And it can help local stores that serve as pick-up locations, such as Danny’s Pharmacy in The Bronx. "After showing an ID, customers pick up packages stowed behind the counter," writes Stevens.

Owner Danny Khanimov earns 50 cents per package, but the bigger attraction is bringing more local customers into his store, he said. “I thought I knew everyone, but now I see lots of new faces,” he says. Most will pick up a couple of items while they’re in the store, and some have even signed up to use the pharmacy, Mr. Khanimov added.

Correspondent's note: Wall Street Journal subscriber-only content will be available to non-subscribers for up to seven days after Oct. 11. Consumerist link is not restricted.