A new locker system from Amazon sends your deliveries to 7-Eleven
thedaily.com
thedaily.com
I recently had to buy a new phone, somewhat urgently since my phone is my GPS/map/Internet/etc. and I'm lost without it, and was trying to figure out how to get one shipped in quickly. The one I wanted at the price I wanted to pay was not available with Amazon Prime shipping, so it was going to cost $40 to overnight it, in addition to the hassle of having to be in a specific location with a fixed address through the weekend and into next week. Luckily, a T-Mobile store had it for the same price, so I got it same day for only a few bucks more (because of sales tax)...but that's usually not the case. Had I needed an unlocked phone, or needed something not widely available, it would have been an ordeal.
In short, I don't know how many normal people are going to use this service, but I am going to use the hell out of it as soon as it is widely available.
And, I wasn't aware I could have things shipped to a FedEx store. I've considered getting a mailbox at a FedEx store in places where I stay for more than a week or two, but so far have not. But, if I can just do a "general delivery" type thing to a FedEx store, that'd be awesome. Will look into it. Though, Amazon never tells you how they're shipping an item; could be UPS, FedEx, courier, DHL, USPS, nobody knows until you get the tracking notice. So, that probably won't work for my Amazon Prime shipments.
I lived in it full time for about a year, inspired by Tynan's posts on the subject. However, I've now gone overseas to Bali and left my Winnie parked in Maryland. It's actually quite a bit cheaper to live here and the internet still works fine :) Have you written up anything about your travels?
I think many of their customers will use it simply for the anonymizing aspect. It just because significantly easier to order things online without people finding out.
I kind of like this service because it doesn't involve any human interaction, which I hate. Whenever I get a package at my house, it goes to the mail room, where I have to make small talk with the package guy. Since I get something from Amazon nearly every day (yay for subscribe & save), this is awkward. Having some magical locker where I could get packages would be amazing.
In Australia, the post depots are open 8:30-5:00 weekdays, and 9:12 Saturday. Tough luck if you happen to be busy then.
I'm avoiding buying stuff because of this.
With the blog I began to find it difficult to think of things I do from day to day as out of the ordinary and worth blogging about. I know it all seems strange to folks who've never done it...but, to me, it's just another day and seems unworthy of writing about. I may give it another shot eventually. I'm in Detroit right now, which is pretty interesting and is probably worth blogging about.
Thanks for the links. I will check them out.
I'm considering a Winnebago View or Itasca Navion (or Fleetwood Pulse), which are based on the biggest Sprinter chassis in a cutaway form. They're a little bit smaller than I want, but I think I could probably live with it, given the benefits. They tend to get 13-17 MPG. They're a little on the pricey side, since I'll probably be paying cash.
I'd really like to have something small enough to be comfortable in cities, while still being large enough to really live in with occasional guests (I may be a loner, but I like having the option of inviting people to come with me sometimes). Stealth campers (converted buses and box trucks and vans) lately have great appeal for me, since a lot of place I haven't yet visited in the US are densely populated cities...so, being able to park on the street in the city without attracting attention would be very valuable.
I have more stuff than most folks would need (I have a small recording studio, three guitars and a drumset in my current rig), and I have a 60 lb dog. So, we can't go van-sized in any way I can imagine, without giving up a lot of my music gear. But, we'll see how it all shakes out. I've begun to get serious about shopping lately, and plan to move into a new rig in October or November when I get back down to Texas (I don't want to buy a vehicle up north where I'm currently parked, since they take so much more abuse up here due to weather extremes; California might actually be ideal, since the weather is so kind to vehicles there).
do you not file a state tax return?
My friend (who is living/working abroad) established residency in Wyoming because they don't have state income tax. It took him a little effort (he had to get a state driver's licence and register to vote), but it was a lot better than paying Maryland state income tax when he sold all his property and no longer plans to live there.
I'm certain you're wrong about both of these assertions, in PA or any other US state. There are federal laws at play, and both of these limitations on homeless people would definitely cross the bounds of federal law. Also, they would be incredibly evil; pretty much designed to keep homeless people homeless.
Mail can be received, by anyone, via general delivery at any post office main branch in a city, and often several other branches, if the city is large. Mail is damned near a constitutional right (federal mail service is one of the few services explicitly permitted by the constitution).
A drivers license is somewhat trickier, since some states do require one to have a "permanent residence" within the state, and don't allow general delivery for that purpose, and some don't even allow PO boxes, though most do. But, Mailboxes Etc. and the like are generally acceptable for this purpose (I use a mail forwarding service for my mailing address for all legal correspondence, including drivers license and taxes). Incoming mail is also one of the services that homeless shelters sometimes provide to their clients, as part of the process of helping them out of homelessness (if you can't drive or get mail in a shithole like rural Pennsylvania, you're SOL when it comes to finding a job, and getting your life back in order). I'll also mention that the federal government, and many states, consider a description of your boat or motorhome as an acceptable "permanent residence" address, as long as a mailing address is also provided.
"Therefore, unless the rules are different in his state, he is not allowed to drive, and if that's the case, then: How can he be a lawful resident?"
So, you reckon I'm an outlaw, flaunting convention and decency?
My residence state is Texas. One of the reasons for that is that it has very relaxed rules about residency, making it more convenient than many states...a forwarding address works fine for all government purposes in Texas. Most states actually want to claim you as a resident, rather than trying to prevent you from becoming one. California, for example, is still trying to convince me to pay income taxes there, even though I haven't been back in a year.
If you google "rv full-timer domicile state" you'll find tons of discussion of the best states for full-timers (South Dakota, Texas, Florida, Wyoming), based on various taxes, convenience and costs of renewing and maintaining licenses and registrations, insurance costs, etc. I chose Texas because I lived there for seventeen years, and I spend two or three months a year there (more than any other state), so Texas is the devil I know and it's ethically probably the one I should be voting in and paying taxes in. But, I considered all the others, and if Texas proves to be ornery for any reason, I won't hesitate to "move" to South Dakota or Florida.
I am homeless, and so, my original comment was not merely hypothetical. I live in Philadelphia, which is, according to Wikipedia, the fifth most-populous city in the United States. Texas sounds rather laid back, but that's not the way it is here. Every day, I feel as if I am "an outlaw, flaunting convention and decency" because not having what's considered a "legal" residence is generally seen as a major indicator of there being something seriously wrong with me. Lacking a fixed address should not effectively make me a criminal.
You mention MBE. I just went to their website, and the first thing that catches my attention is a news item [1] stating that I need to show ID to send a package, via UPS, from an MBE location, unless I already have a shipping label prepared from an existing UPS account. On a related note, this reminds me that FedEx here doesn't take cash. Anyway, there doesn't seem to be an MBE in Philadelphia, but other mailbox places that I have come across all require ID [2] and most require me to fill out a form [3] which tells the Post Office that the mailbox provider has my authorization to handle my mail. It is impossible for me to (honestly, legally, or however you want to put it) fill out that form. Also, even if I could, somehow, get a mailbox, it would create yet another red flag on my credit reports, because the credit agencies mark, as suspicious, any address which receives mail for many different people.
I've been removed from life's DNS. :(
ICANN you hear me?
[1] http://mbe.com/ps/Pages/PhotoID.aspx
[2] http://southstreetbusinesscenter.net/mailbox_rental
[3] http://virtualpostmail.com/ps/308/usps-form-1583-in-5-minute...
I'm not an expert on PA regulations, but I do know that I was able to do everything I needed without a permanent address, including getting a passport, drivers license, car insurance (GEICO offers a special insurance class just for RV full-timers, which is a blend of homeowners and auto insurance), and the postal forms needed for mail forwarding services.
And, one more thing:
"Also, even if I could, somehow, get a mailbox, it would create yet another red flag on my credit reports, because the credit agencies mark, as suspicious, any address which receives mail for many different people."
This is definitely not true. Credit card payments might get flagged if the billing address is a forwarding service (though it has not been the case for me; I've had trouble ordering items shipped to addresses other than my billing address, but I've never had a payment refused because the billing address was a forwarding service), but your credit report will, in no way, be effected by using such a service. I promise you it will not "red flag" your credit reports.
It sounds like you've had a bad run of luck, and it's gotten you feeling like a victim on all fronts. It's understandable. I feel beaten down by bureaucracy sometimes, too. But, you do have some fundamental rights in the US, regardless of whether you have a home or not. Get the ID thing sorted, and everything else will start to fall into place. If PA won't help you get that sorted, raise hell until someone does help you; contact your local state representative or city mayors office or write a letter to the head of the DMV or the local newspaper. You have a right to have an identity. You can't possibly get out of homelessness without one.
But, I do still have license, registration, etc. to deal with.
Palantir is an example of a company with a GREAT ops department, and they handle a lot of employee stuff. My friend is moving, and they're handling shipping some of his items separately, on top of normal moving arrangements; plus all the routine package receiving and forwarding they do.
Amazon Help Article (JP): http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId...
Google Translate: http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ja&tl=en&js...
In Japan, the customer doesn't have to mess with any lockers. In the convenience store (Lawson instead of 7 Eleven) there's an electronic terminal used for buying tickets, pre-paid cards, etc. The customer inputs the order code and key into that terminal to print a ticket. Then they hand it to the clerk who picks up the package from the storage.
The Österreichische Post AG (Austria) is testing a new system where they install a couple of boxes right inside apartement buildings, typically next to the residents' post boxes. When a resident isn't home they simply drop the unlock code in his post box and put the package in one of the boxes. (The package is obviously too big to be dropped directly into the resident's post box.)
Packages can be exciting ;-)
It is cheaper to send a package to this locker than to an residential address.
You get an email and SMS whenever there is a package for you, and you have 14 days to pick up the package before it is returned to sender.
Way better than UPS, Fedex etc who seems to be completely unable to ring the door bell or who just skips delivery completely if they're busy. Of course, they are not too busy to tell the system that the customer were not home at the time.
http://vimeo.com/26025789 (audio german, slides english)
My guess is that the answer to "how soon" would be 'the second one of these boxes appears in a state where Amazon does not yet collect sales tax.'
That said, I'm guessing that Amazon's lawyers would argue that this is effectively identical to a P.O. box, and therefore totally exempted. At least, that's what I'd argue.
edit: or not owned by Amazon at all. Good call.
Make it a joint venture with UPS and use it for all kinds of deliveries and win.
In any case, there's no way Amazon would keep these around if they alone necessitated a sales tax, since the trade-off would be too great.
When the package is actually delivered, the
customer receives an email notification along with
a bar code to his smartphone and heads to the
7-Eleven. There he’ll stand in front of the
locker system, which looks like the offspring
between an ATM machine and a safety deposit box.
The machine will scan the bar code on his handset
to receive a PIN number. He’ll punch that PIN
number and retrieve the package.
Why doesn't it just give me my package when it scans the bar code? The PIN doesn't seem to add any security.
I supposed the PIN could be an artifact of the implementation, rather than a security measure. For the prototype it might have been easier and cheaper just to use some stock keypad-based lockbox, and so they have to tell you the PIN, rather than to do some custom engineering to hook the locking system straight up to the barcode system.
I might just chalk this one up to bad reporting instead of needless redundancy in the implementation.
They can focus all their efforts protecting the other end.
Two factor authentication requires that you have two separate items of evidence to attest to your identity. The PIN in the Amazon system as described in the article is just evidence that you knew the bar code, not evidence as to who you are, so their system is just one factor.
A good way to think about it when considering a purported two factor system is to ask how many things a bad guy has to steal to impersonate you. In a two factor system, he should have to steal two things.
I am rarely home when the majority of the packages I order actually arrive in my city. If they were to send me an email asking me if I'll be home on the scheduled day of delivery, I'd be more than happy to let them know I'm not, to save them the trip of trying to deliver to me when I know I won't be home. This has always seemed like a major inefficiency in the courier system that I've always thought they would have eliminated. I just can't imagine that I am an outlier, do most other homes usually have someone home so its not worth sending out an email to check? Can anyone comment on this? I think about this problem every time I receive a package, it seems like such an obvious problem easily solved by technology.
They should fix it, but I don't know if either of the major delivery companies are nimble enough to.
It seems easy, but perhaps it isn't or at least it isn't cost effective enough. The delivery person seemingly isn't given a route everyday (or at least that's my guess) and for now it's too complex/expensive for UPS/FedEx to institute. Also, they are rushing so much and there are so many processes before your package is put into the brown truck that there are all kinds of timing issues. This Amazon idea may help.
The author evidently has never seen a modern transit station locker system. (Admittedly less common now that lockers have been removed from airports.) At Union Station in Chicago there is a wall of lockers that looks almost exactly like this; all your interactions with choosing and locking and unlocking a locker are done with the computer kiosk in the middle (which, in that case, has a credit card reader). Amazon is surely not using custom hardware for this (or at least, not from-scratch custom), just reprogramming what's out there.
http://www.smartecarte.com/storage-lockers
There's a hidden aspect of these lockers, you know. TSA likes it when they can have a backdoor to these lockers when needed.
Thieves wouldn't need to provide a new address anymore, just one of these lockers and go pick it up.
Darnit, now I have to re-read the Idoru chain of Gibson books again...
I very much want to believe that someone at Amazon had a brainstorm after that book.
It seems like not having to use credit cards (with the attendant risks of credit card theft, identity fraud, false fraud alarms canceling your purchase, etc., not to mention cutting out people who don't have one) or PayPal could be a huge benefit. Less so for buying from Amazon, though, than for buying from eBay sellers.
...but what surprised me more about this was that it was shared from The Daily.
Hyperbole much?