Dec 8, 2023 - Things to Do

Where to send your packages beyond your front porch

Mimi Montgomery

A pile of mail-transport bins reading "United States Postal Service." — Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg/Getty Images

It's the holidays, which means prime online gift-shopping season — but also prime porch pirate season.

Why it matters: An estimated 119 million U.S. packages were stolen over the past year, according to SafeWise, a jump from last year's 113 million estimate.

Earlier this year, police arrested a "serial package thief" on G Street NE.

Here are some delivery alternatives to having packages left at your front door.

Ship Amazon packages to a nearby Amazon Locker or Amazon Counter — aka staffed pick-up and drop-off points inside businesses. (You've likely seen both at a Whole Foods.)
If you're an Amazon Prime user, you can also sign up for Amazon Key and have packages delivered inside your garage.
Walmart has a similar service called Walmart+ InHome.
FedEx lets you pick up and drop off packages at FedEx stores and other participating locations like Walgreens.
You can also ship packages directly to the post office or a UPS store, where you can also get a personal mailbox that accepts packages. UPS lets you ship packages to Access Point lockers or nearby staffed locations like CVS.

Be smart: If you want to be extra secure, D.C. also has a rebate program for security cameras.

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Where to send your packages beyond your front porch

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