Amazon Installs Lockers on a Chicago Park’s Sidewalk | Hacker News Reader

Amazon Installs Lockers on a Chicago Park’s Sidewalk

blockclubchicago.org

58 pointsdanso37 comments

A total of 68 Amazon lockers are being installed at Chicago parks across the city, according to a list provided by the Park District. Some have already been installed, and others are being installed later this month.

I’m stunned that A) someone at Amazon and the city thought this was a good use of public green space and B) no one anticipated blowback.

It actually seems fairly useful for say, the homeless population to have an easy place to pick up items, or people who are walking through the park to pick up items.

The only issue I would have with this is, they should've created their own platform for it adjacent to the sidewalk, not ON the sidewalk, and the space should only be leased or licensed to Amazon temporarily, not permanently.

Sure, but at a park?

Claiming Amazon lockers could be a boon for the homeless is incredibly dystopian.

Sure, but only because it highlights how little support society gives to the homeless.

Is it? People who are poor still sometimes need to buy things, and not having a permanent mailing address would generally make it difficult to buy things that aren't locally available.

I do think that having the Amazon logo displayed prominently on big metal boxes in a city park is dystopian. Doubly so when the big metal boxes are blocking the sidewalk.

It looks fine to me. I don't see the big deal.

I live in Chicago (and in fact just got back from a walk in a park!). I will be outraged if I see one of these in my neighborhood. Sadly, if this isn't in fact a mistake, it won't be the first time in recent memory that city leadership has accommodated dubious private interests in public parks (see [1] for example).

EDIT: fix typo

[1] https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2013-06-27-ct-met...

Outraged seems like a but much right? Like it barely affects your life.

You could say that about any number of things: global warming in the 2010’s, foreign war involvement, etc.

In this case, OP likely feels it’s morally wrong and unfair that Amazon can do this.

One thing I really like about Australia is the Local Post Office vs GPO system. Being able to walk 15min max and get your packages that weren’t able to be delivered to your door is very convenient.

From what I understand the LPOs are kind of a franchise that people own which extends the reach of the postal system.

The USPS on the other hand is hamstrung half a million ways _and_ are expected to deliver packages to the middle of nowhere.

Something similar to LPOs and Amazon cubbies would be an amazing improvement on things.

Also we need to keep private interests out of parks, there are so few of them as it is already.

I agree with the author, outdoor Amazon lockers just seem to be a crime magnet, at the very least for bored teenagers.

Packages in front of houses are crime magnets, literally the lowest-effort theft target. Is there actually a problem with crime around these lockers? Why would anyone try that rather than an ATM?

ATMs hold cold cash and are built like it. They're essentially safes and take time to tear apart and are very heavy to move. Amazon lockers are much thinner metal.

I figured we were talking about mugging. I've never heard of an amazon locker being cut into. I think they're placed in conspicuous locations for a reason.

Coin-op machines in many cases, have a big box with coins inside. The dilemma is, do you make the box like Fort Knox so that when the determined thief breaks in you lose the contents and have a huge replacement/repair cost? Or do you leave it easier to break into, lowering the replacement/repair cost? [1] The judgement by Amazon may be to take the risk on an easier package.

[1] I used to work at a company that built coin-operated gambling machines such as video poker machines.

Anecdotal, but my building management said they won’t be installing these lockers at any of their new properties due to them being targeted by thieves. They’re apparently fairly easy to pry open for a sufficiently motivated person.

I look forward to seeing this locker on tiktok being pushed into Lake Michigan

The list of other locations has 3285 N Elston Ave.

This one is installed at 3259 N Elston Ave.

Oops!

Looks like it's only held down with 4 bolts. Easy enough to remove if anyone is feeling motivated.

Wonder what precautions they’ve taken to prevent jamming by superglue or two-part epoxy.

Like the guys who installed it at the wrong address. =)

There are certain things Amazon won't even ship to me now since my complex has lockers. I'd prefer to just have things delivered to my door like before.

Presumably Amazon is tired of dealing with porch pirates. It's hard to blame them.

They should stop selling Ring/Blink cameras then.

This seems like a mistaken location by a contractor.

I agree. I think this is a straightforward dumb mistake, most likely.

It sounds like that specific location was a mistake, but that installation on city park property was intended (and agreed to by the city).

Karen has entered the chat

From the article:

... Ald. Rosanna Rodriguez (33rd) said a Park District supervisor told her the lockers in the park at 3259 N. Elston Ave. were installed there by mistake. Chicago Park District spokeswoman Irene Tostado wouldn’t confirm, saying only, “The locker was installed in the correct park.” ... Rodriguez on Friday asked the Park District supervisor to move the lockers to a more appropriate location... ... A total of 68 Amazon lockers are being installed at Chicago parks across the city, according to a list provided by the Park District... ... Rodriguez said the lockers are a symptom of a larger budgetary issue the city is facing.

“When you have public institutions that are not well-funded, and can’t function with the budget they’re provided by the government, they need to look for other sources of revenue. This is how we get a company like Amazon to have a presence in our public parks. It’s disheartening,” the alderwoman said. ...

Conclusion:

It looks like Amazon is only half the problem here, the other half being corrupt local government bureaucrats taking bribes from Amazon.

A company renting space from a city parks department is not a bribe.

I’m sure all the vendors and food trucks I see in our local parks paid a fee of some sort to be allowed to hawk there. Those fees weren’t bribes either.

There's always bribery involved. You're just not aware of it.

Fee, bribe, protection money, not much difference.

Sorry, but aside from an occasional guy pushing an ice cream cart, I do not normally see vendors at local parks in United States. I recall once I was solicited to buy firewood at a county park, but when those guys saw the park ranger coming they drove away. I cannot think of a single instance when I saw a bolted-down structure selling food or anything else in a park, or anything with commercial signs. Those belong on a regular street in a business district.

The closest I've seen to what you're describing is designated areas for food vendors at county fairs, food trucks at swap meets, and vending machines near the restrooms at highway rest areas.

Regardless of the "rent", I do not see how shipping lockers are appropriate for a park. Even the post office does not put mailboxes inside a park. And if this is OK for Amazon does that mean UPS, FedEx, AliBaba, and whoever else can join in??

Yes, this is what corruption looks like.

Here in Boston, the Swan Boats and Frog Pond skating operation rent space from the city of Boston. There are around a dozen food and push carts on the common and several semi-permanent structures offering various services. (These don’t appear to have a traditional foundation, but they also don’t look to have moved regularly.)

I’m surprised no parks near you have a similar program; perhaps there isn’t enough foot traffic to make it worthwhile?

In terms of whether the park department should make deals like these with other operations, if the citizens they ostensibly work for want them, then they should. The Swan Boats and Frog Pond are wildly popular and enjoy widespread public support here.

Running these lockers in the style of a food truck (or ala Amazon's own Treasure Trucks) seems like a good win win, avoid the permanent eyesore, upsell or cross promote things, bring a few jobs to the city ...

You probably had us until you jumped all the way to corrupt and bribes.

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