“That’s just part of living in a big city!” was what I heard from a liberal co-worker complaining about a stolen package from her front stoop. But it’s everywhere now. I think the ubiquitous nature of delivery apps for both food and passengers have desensitized us to people walking up to houses. Before, it really would just be mailmen and the occasional door to door salesman. Now we don’t think twice about a person we’ve never seen walk up to a neighbor‘s door. I also believe there is likely communication between certain delivery guys and porch thieves to coordinate seizing the package to split amongst themselves. I’d be interested if Amazon tracks that sort of thing in terms of frequency and timing of delivery guys whose route somehow always gets robbed.
I never considered the desensitization aspect of it. I always felt people remained uncomfortable with random people approaching their door, but I can also see how if it happens too often, you can sort of assume that it's a worker of some kind.
Also, a thought to delivery people: if you think about it, they do a dangerous job. There's currently a lawsuit against Amazon because they're now sending fewer drivers into high-crime areas populated by a certain demographic, so they're citing discrimination:
Apparently, forcing unarmed, defenseless delivery workers to enter dangerous areas is a civil right. One of the next Overton windows to shift is the recognition the Civil Rights Act has long exceeded the point of diminishing returns.
Yes, I read somewhere that pizza delivery guys used to be one of the most dangerous because they carried cash of them. With apps paying electronically, that risk has subsided. However, Amazon delivery men have thousands of dollars of merchandise on their trucks.
I'm not a labor leftist, but it's a fact that a lot of employers expect their workers to assume a tremendous amount of risk in exchange for a paycheck. Convenience store clerks are another example. I get that once you sign that dotted line, you've agreed to assume that risk, but I also think a certain amount of common sense needs to be involved: if you told someone straight up that being killed while making a delivery is a risk of the job, I think more people would be reticent to be delivery drivers. Most people do the job thinking it's a marginal risk, but it's not.
Most unforgivable is when employers try to dictate to its workers what they're permitted to do to defend themselves. I get not wanting workers to carry around weapons, but workers should never have to worry about their employer failing to come to their defense because they punched someone who attacked them.
This is why I always have my deliveries shipped to my office - even if they arrive when I'm not there, at least it's on my desk or in the mail room and not on my porch. I know some gas stations, stores, and other public places now have Amazon drop boxes where you can send packages to a secure storage box that can be accessed with a one time code that's sent to you. It's inconvenient but it's better than rolling the dice. I've never had anything swiped from my front door but it's happened to neighbors where I grew up; there was a very well-organized operation of people driving into the suburbs in a van that would literally canvass middle and upper class neighborhoods and methodically take whatever they could. What never fails to amaze me is the brazenness of the thieves; clearly, video doorbells aren't the deterrent they should be since these people are just walking up and taking things right in front of them, often with their faces uncovered. That footage was how the police ultimately busted this operation in my hometown since they were able to get one of the vans they were using's plate numbers, and then match some of the people associated with the guy from images taken from security footage. It seems like a bad idea to me, but then again, if these people were geniuses, they probably wouldn't be looting packages to turn a quick buck.
I was thinking my suggestion to have deliveries made to your workplace would be controversial, but it's good to see great minds think alike!
The good news is that there are many options available for securing your deliveries. Not everything is bad in today's world. The problem is that the threats today are numerous. I also think thieves are aware that they're not going to be locked up for long and that someone out there will always defend them. They also tend to think in the moment, so they figure even if they're confronted, they'll just deal with it, usually through violence.
I think the hardest thing for liberal-minded people to accept is how different these people really think from the rest of us.
“That’s just part of living in a big city!” was what I heard from a liberal co-worker complaining about a stolen package from her front stoop. But it’s everywhere now. I think the ubiquitous nature of delivery apps for both food and passengers have desensitized us to people walking up to houses. Before, it really would just be mailmen and the occasional door to door salesman. Now we don’t think twice about a person we’ve never seen walk up to a neighbor‘s door. I also believe there is likely communication between certain delivery guys and porch thieves to coordinate seizing the package to split amongst themselves. I’d be interested if Amazon tracks that sort of thing in terms of frequency and timing of delivery guys whose route somehow always gets robbed.
I never considered the desensitization aspect of it. I always felt people remained uncomfortable with random people approaching their door, but I can also see how if it happens too often, you can sort of assume that it's a worker of some kind.
Also, a thought to delivery people: if you think about it, they do a dangerous job. There's currently a lawsuit against Amazon because they're now sending fewer drivers into high-crime areas populated by a certain demographic, so they're citing discrimination:
https://x.com/FischerKing64/status/1864491758471741738
Apparently, forcing unarmed, defenseless delivery workers to enter dangerous areas is a civil right. One of the next Overton windows to shift is the recognition the Civil Rights Act has long exceeded the point of diminishing returns.
Yes, I read somewhere that pizza delivery guys used to be one of the most dangerous because they carried cash of them. With apps paying electronically, that risk has subsided. However, Amazon delivery men have thousands of dollars of merchandise on their trucks.
I'm not a labor leftist, but it's a fact that a lot of employers expect their workers to assume a tremendous amount of risk in exchange for a paycheck. Convenience store clerks are another example. I get that once you sign that dotted line, you've agreed to assume that risk, but I also think a certain amount of common sense needs to be involved: if you told someone straight up that being killed while making a delivery is a risk of the job, I think more people would be reticent to be delivery drivers. Most people do the job thinking it's a marginal risk, but it's not.
Most unforgivable is when employers try to dictate to its workers what they're permitted to do to defend themselves. I get not wanting workers to carry around weapons, but workers should never have to worry about their employer failing to come to their defense because they punched someone who attacked them.
We really need to return to "You loot; we shoot." The right to defend oneself and one's property is fundamental.
And prosecutors who attack those rights should be charged under civil rights laws or at least disbarred.
This is why I always have my deliveries shipped to my office - even if they arrive when I'm not there, at least it's on my desk or in the mail room and not on my porch. I know some gas stations, stores, and other public places now have Amazon drop boxes where you can send packages to a secure storage box that can be accessed with a one time code that's sent to you. It's inconvenient but it's better than rolling the dice. I've never had anything swiped from my front door but it's happened to neighbors where I grew up; there was a very well-organized operation of people driving into the suburbs in a van that would literally canvass middle and upper class neighborhoods and methodically take whatever they could. What never fails to amaze me is the brazenness of the thieves; clearly, video doorbells aren't the deterrent they should be since these people are just walking up and taking things right in front of them, often with their faces uncovered. That footage was how the police ultimately busted this operation in my hometown since they were able to get one of the vans they were using's plate numbers, and then match some of the people associated with the guy from images taken from security footage. It seems like a bad idea to me, but then again, if these people were geniuses, they probably wouldn't be looting packages to turn a quick buck.
I was thinking my suggestion to have deliveries made to your workplace would be controversial, but it's good to see great minds think alike!
The good news is that there are many options available for securing your deliveries. Not everything is bad in today's world. The problem is that the threats today are numerous. I also think thieves are aware that they're not going to be locked up for long and that someone out there will always defend them. They also tend to think in the moment, so they figure even if they're confronted, they'll just deal with it, usually through violence.
I think the hardest thing for liberal-minded people to accept is how different these people really think from the rest of us.