If you do quite a bit of shopping online, you must be well-acquainted with the agony of waiting for a parcel delivery. Either you are at work all day and hope you make it home in time to accept the delivery, or you’re traveling and cannot afford to get a ‘sorry we missed you’ slip when you’re back. Sometimes parcels are left out in the rain, and sometimes a well-meaning dog can shred them to pieces. The point is, leaving deliveries to fate isn’t an option! A few tweets to sum up the exasperating experience with deliveries:
What’s the worst / oddest place you’ve ever had a parcel left? pic.twitter.com/LPaYRbox7S
— Money Saving Expert (@MoneySavingExp) July 2, 2017
On my front doorstep with the this way up sign the wrong way. It was only a £800 computer… pic.twitter.com/epoho6rTyg
— Marco Trinci (@MarcoTrinci) July 2, 2017
This little gem from @AmazonUK was a push for me – a squeeze for the box too! pic.twitter.com/C7XaaL4963
— Steve Gunnell (@steve_gunnell) July 2, 2017
Had a parcel left in the recycling bin just before it was emptied by the binmen
— Pete Greatorex (@murphygsd) July 3, 2017
That’s why we’ve introduced a new range of parcel lockers on our website. Having quite a few fans of online shopping here in our team, we think these are a great addition and would put many of your delivery-related fears at rest.
How do parcel lockers work?
A cross between mailboxes and standard lockers, parcel lockers incorporate the best of both worlds. They are anti-theft devices that prevent unauthorized access, protect your fragile deliveries, and provide a lockable storage area that is only accessible to you! There are several types of mechanisms, depending on how smooth & secure you’d like the process to be between you and the mailman!
For example, some parcel lockers are simply an empty box that can be left unlocked while you are away. The delivery person would then open the locker, place your parcels in, then secure the locker. You can then unlock the box with your own key when you come back! We recommend this if you know that your neighbourhood is free of pranksters who will be tampering with your locker before the mailman makes his rounds!
For more security, lockers with anti-theft mechanism only provide an opening to insert packages on a anti-theft plate. When the courier closes the lid, parcels are tipped into a secure safe. The anti-theft plate prevents fishing and small hands from entering the safe through the lid. Simply unlock the safe door when you come back, and retrieve your mail!
Where can I install my parcel locker?
These secure parcel lockers are available with a top lid or a front lid, and can be wall mounted, bolted to the floor or free standing. This depends on the easiest way to receive incoming mail. For example, if your front porch offers limited space, a wall mounted front lidded parcel locker would do the trick.
If you have a front gate that is locked but still wish to receive mail in your absence, a wall mountable parcel locker can be secured to the front gate bars. We highly recommend larger (therefore heavier) parcel lockers to be wall-fixed on the ground, as this would give the impression that they are bolted to the ground (more secure) without damaging sidewalks.
Large buildings and smaller offices can keep on receiving mail when no one is available to personally accept parcels. This can help your staff use their time for more productive tasks and distribute mail when it is more convenient for them. Alternatively, installing a parcel locker indoors as a drop box is a good idea for outgoing mail!
What if my deliveries require a signature?
These parcel lockers can be customised with a barcode to include your name or address. This digital signature lets your mailman flag your delivery as ‘received’, so you don’t have to be physically present at the time of delivery! The digital signature is usually located on the inside of your parcel locker and can be customised by suppliers. Simply specify at the time of the order what 15 characters you’d like to include. This service is usually subject to an additional charge.
We hope you found this post helpful! Remember, our sales team is available on live chat for any additional information about our products, we strive to answer your questions as accurately as possible