USPS logo LINK — USPS employee news Printable

Doorman’s dilemma

Apartments race to meet rising package volumes

Doormans dilemma
A New York City doorman scans a package. Photo: The New York Times

The ongoing surge in package volumes is making every day seem like Christmas in many New York City apartment buildings.

“I’ll bet our volume has tripled in the last five years,” Larry McCool, manager of a Midtown East co-op, told The New York Times this week.

The flood of parcels is forcing many apartment managers to think creatively about storage space.

Some buildings are turning janitors’ closets into package rooms, while newer properties are being outfitted with extra space. A new 321-unit rental property in Queens will have 400 square feet of storage, the size of a studio apartment.

Buildings also are installing lobby monitors that notify residents when they receive packages.

Staffing changes have become common too.

Some buildings are changing the breaks and dinner hours of their doormen so they’ll be on duty when residents come home to pick up their parcels. Other employees are being retrained to handle deliveries.

“The guys who sat around in the back elevators are working a little harder now,” Gail Wainer, who manages Upper East Side co-ops, told the Times.

Post-story highlights