New Electric Razor: A Bizarre Shipping Experience

I had some money from xmas to spend at Best Buy, and since I have been using the same razor for the past ~4 months to avoid spending money on new ones, I decided to invest in an electric razor. I went online, found one that I liked (even works in the shower!), and bought it with expedited shipping.

I slept in late on Friday and checked the tracking info when I woke up. The UPS site said it had been delivered at 12:20PM, so I went downstairs and opened the front door, expecting to see it waiting on the porch. It was 12:45PM and there was nothing there. My roommates who were home hadn't seen a truck, and we checked all around the house for the package to no avail.

I stopped by the UPS store, they said to call UPS, UPS said to call Best Buy. I called Best Buy later in the afternoon and they said to call UPS again. I did this, and got a smart person who "initiated a trace" on the package. On a whim, I checked out on the porch again when I was back home around 5:30PM, and voila, there was the package, five hours late. Here's the photo recap:

@ 12:20 p.m.



@ 5:00 p.m.



I have not attempted to figure out what happened or why this happened. I was just happy I didn't have to deal with package tracing, and that I was able to use the razor for my post-jog shave that evening.

The Agony of Tracking Packages

I ordered a fancy new computer on Tuesday following Apple's release of the new MacBook Pros. As part of the promotion, you get a free iPod Touch, which came yesterday. I received the notification it had been sent and followed closely as it left the factory is Pennsylvania, went through Newark, got on the truck and was eventually delivered here to the office.

This morning I got the notification that my computer had shipped. From Shanghai.

The idea of tracking shipments is great, but let's be honest, all it does is make the pain of waiting that much more painful. You have access to a resource that seems like it should tell you EXACTLY when the package will arrive, but the reality is that it usually updates in the morning and at night, leaving you (well, me) constantly refreshing the FedEx page all day long in hopes that the delivery truck has sprouted wings and arrived in Jersey in a matter of minutes, rather than hours or days.

And with the shipment of my new computer from China, I have to watch as a my little package treks across the mighty globe, traveling from conveyor belt to truck to plane to boat to car to bike to donkey to truck to its final destination here.

Tracking packages might seem convenient, but I find myself longing for the days of ignorant bliss when I had no idea when the package would arrive. Since the delivery trucks would come at the same time everyday (but not Saturday!?), if I came home from school and it hadn't arrived, that just meant I had to wait longer.

Today, I can see what time it left the facility, when it moves from truck to truck, etc. If I had to guess, the next step is live satellite shots of the package in transit and alerts when the driver has to stop for a pee break.