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Friday, December 20, 2013

Amazon Delivery Options?

We paused for a few days after a pretty busy few days seeing relations and doing some fun things over the weekend.

But I wondered if you all have had some interesting deliveries with Amazon Prime.  We have.
Shopping at Christmas time this year has been really easy.  Ask the kids what they want (they know the limits and our limit wherewithal so no 60" TV's or new cars on the list), find it on Amazon, add their address and hit 'send'.  Pretty simple and straight forward.  In fact it couldn't be easier.

Unless you live in an RV.  Then sometimes it can be a little challenging.

While here at Sea Breeze RV Campground in Seal Beach, we have seen numerous FEDEX and UPS deliveries to campsites.  How great is that?  Normally, we have had to send our mail to the US Post Office (get it sent to 'General Delivery').

In our 4 1/2+ years on the road we have done that many times.

But I forgot that Amazon Prime doesn't promise to send packages via UPS.  (or if it does, I don't know how to designate it).  Seems as if they decide how they are going to get it here in the time promised.

So after seeing that it was delivered yesterday, I went over to the Post Office to try and see if I could somehow find the package.  Let's see, Christmas time, thousands of packages, small post office... the more I thought about it I realized my chances aren't too great to get it.  Or get it any time soon.

I was at the Post Office when they opened at 9:00 AM.  There were only a few people in front of me and all were waiting to mail packages.  The lady behind the counter helped me right away.  I handed her my tracking information that I had printed out thinking it might help.

After a few minutes, she indicated the delivery person thought that it was over at the mail room on the Navy base.   Hmm...

I went through this last time I was here.  The mail room has instructions they are not to deliver to the Campground.  When it happened a month ago, a package was sent back to the US Post Office, where somehow, they found my package.

They did not find the package and suggested I go out to the Mail Room.  I explained it was my understanding, they do not hold packages...etc.  But it was clear they were done looking for it so, I went back over to the base and to the Mail Room.

They guy there said, he wasn't supposed to but for some reason, he held on to a package yesterday....oh yeah -- here it is!

Amazing.  Felt like we got lucky this time!  Got our package and off I went.  Like finding a needle in a haystack (or some other improbable event..) I was pretty excited.

But now I have a quandary --- I don't think Amazon Prime allows me to send things to a 'General Delivery' address.  Yet the U.S. Post Office won't deliver to the campground on base.

Any suggestions?

I figure at this point it is part of our adventure and we will find a way.

Another thing I learned this holiday season is the value of marking, 'Do Not Open Until Christmas'.  We are 1 for 2 packages in that department.  One was marked and has not been opened.  We sent another that was not marked and it was opened early.  So we'll marked them all next year.

So there's some thought/a question on Amazon shipping.

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles.  Have a great weekend!  Until next time...

6 comments:

  1. I was taught at a young age that you don't get everything you want. Maybe when Amazon deliveries are anticipated you should stay somewhere other than a base campground. Life is a trade off.

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  2. The UPS store in town will accept packages. . .there's usually a fee involved. Can't remember where we were, but that's how we received a package of parts we had ordered. . .check it out. . .it might work!

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  3. As if just finding the right gift is not enough trouble, wow, never thought about shipping problems! Maybe you should indicate to Amazon to use those delivery drones they are thinking about... ;c)

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  4. We've used general delivery only once, and that was in Red Bay. Private campgrounds allow delivery of packages; in some cases delivering the packages to us and in other cases holding it in the office for us to pick up. On military bases, we've found that UPS/FedEx will deliver to the campground office, and US postal service will deliver to the post office on base. Haven't had any problems on any of the bases we've been to so far.

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  5. We have gotten several packages from Amazon delivered to our campground lately. I didn't realize there could be an issue. We have always just had things sent directly to the campgrounds, but we are normally at private campgrounds.

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  6. I've also discovered that for reasons no Amazoner can tell me, they won't ship some items to a PO Box... Even though it is ina USPS facility.

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