Online Holiday Shopping: 5 Tips for Fast & Frustration-Free Deliveries

Are you doing all your holiday shopping online this year? You aren’t the only one! Before you know it, our luxury apartment community will be flooded with packages delivered by drivers that are overwhelmed and overworked by all the major carriers. 

If you don’t want your packages to get lost in the chaos, we have some advice you should take before you ever place an order.

Whether you’re new here (Hello, new resident!) and you haven’t had a package delivered yet, or you’ve experienced problems with package deliveries in the past, take a moment and get all our tips for successful deliveries this holiday season.

#1: Shop Early

If you want your packages delivered on-time, you need to shop ahead and plan ahead. Don’t wait until the last minute just to get a great deal!

The holiday season is a hectic season. Even if you pay extra for overnight shipping or Amazon Prime, you cannot rely on your packages getting to you promptly right before the holidays.

With all carriers experiencing staff shortages and supply chain delays, the smartest thing you can do is get all your shopping done early. Get your items ordered and get them shipped to you now so you have plenty of buffer for potential delivery delays.

PS: Shopping early also gives you more time to wrap all your presents once they arrive!

#2: Provide Your Full Address

You know your address, right? Your home here is Bowman Pointe is located at 3321 South Bowman Road, Little Rock, Arkansas, 72211.

But that’s not all you need to know! 

A big mistake we see residents often make is forgetting to fill out their apartment number. 

Most retail websites will give you an extra line to add your apartment number, but some will need you to add it to the street address line. The system will not automatically flag you if you haven’t added an apartment number, so it’s up to you to remember. 

Whether your package gets delivered to your door or our Amazon Hub locker system, the carrier needs your complete address. They cannot deliver your package correctly without the apartment number listed on it!

PS: This point is even more important for new residents here, as some retailers will auto-save your old address if you have ordered from them before. While you’re checking out, double-check that your full new address is listed, not your old one!

#3: Monitor Your Delivery Status

Once your package ships, you should receive a tracking number from the carrier that allows you to monitor your delivery status. Use it!

Only you can get delivery estimates and updates from the carrier regarding your package. We do not have access to this information, so we cannot monitor packages for you or make sure they get delivered. 

If you’re going to be away from your apartment for any reason when your package arrives, it’s your responsibility to make the necessary arrangements ahead of time.

For example, if a signature is required to accept a package, you need to be here when your package gets delivered, as we cannot accept that liability on your behalf. 

We also cannot accept perishable items, electronics, or furniture, so you must prepare for those to be delivered to your doorstep. 

If you’re going to be out of town when a package arrives, please inform us ahead of time so we know not to return your package past our standard 48-hour holding period.

#4: Find Your Package

Just like it’s not our responsibility to track your package, it’s also not our responsibility to find your package or bring your package to you. However, we will notify you if we have it!

Amazon Hub

The Amazon Hub in our clubhouse accepts packages from Amazon, UPS, FedEx, DHL, and USPS. As a new resident, you should receive an invitation via email to set up your Amazon Hub account so you get can notifications from the Hub when you have a new package.

These email notifications will include a bar code you can scan or a number you can enter at the Amazon Hub kiosk to unlock the locker securing your package. 

If you have more than one package in the Hub, stand back! Each locker door will open one-by-one until you take out all your packages.

PS: Residents of our new building do not currently have access to the Amazon Hub, so your packages will be delivered to your door or to our office. Stay tuned … you will have your own Amazon Hub soon once the first floor amenities are open!

Parcel Closet

Now, if your package is too large to fit in the Hub, the package will either be delivered to your door or left with our office. Use your tracking number to see which delivery status the driver selected. 

If we store your package in one of our parcel closets, we will first scan your package into our system using the resident app and then send you a notification. You can visit the office during office hours or see a concierge until 10:00 pm nightly to pick it up. 

Mail House

Is your package being delivered by USPS? If it’s small enough to fit in your mailbox or in one of the parcel lockers at our mail houses, the post office will leave it there and usually not notify you. 

So, if you’re expecting a package and don’t receive a delivery notification, fist double-check your front door and then check your mailbox. If the package was left in a parcel locker, the mail carrier will leave a key to it inside your mailbox.

#5: Ask for Help

It’s important to keep in mind here that most carriers will hire seasonal delivery drivers to help with the drastic increase in deliveries. These new drivers will not know their routes or be as familiar with our community as the regular drivers, which means the likelihood of misdelivering packages will be much higher than usual. 

We’ve seen drivers leave packages inside the front door to your apartment building, outside the front door to our clubhouse, or even in front of the Amazon Hub if they are in a rush or don’t feel like figuring out how to deliver your package!

If you’re having trouble locating a package, using our app, or utilizing the Amazon Hub, feel free to ask for help! A member of our staff would be happy to assist you. 

However, if we are unable to help you locate your package, you will need to contact the carrier directly to figure out what happened. 

It’s frustrating for us and for you, but there’s nothing we can do to prevent these kinds of package mishaps. We just ask for your patience!

We know the holiday season can be crazy, but that is precisely why we are giving you all these tips now. If you take our advice, it should help your packages arrive promptly and get delivered successfully. 

Have any questions? Want more tips? Contact our office at 501.725.9055.