Pub Parcel Clubs

Less Courier Deliveries ... Less Carbon Dioxide

I live in a quiet drive with three other dwellings, and I have just installed a security camera which pings my phone whenever a vehicle passes. What astounds me is just how often that happens, and the majority of pings are generated by delivery services.

I see DHL, DPD, Evri, Parcel Force, UPS and Royal Mail sometimes all on the same day, each puffing their bursts of carbon dioxide outside my front door. It's insane and it is getting worse. If I am not available it is often left outside my door as I have no "safe" place, and my neighbours would also not be available. So many of the items delivered are small, but the vans are big.

There are also so many cases where couriers themselves are villains. Take a look at this recent Sunday Times investigation.

I thought it would be great of there was some place, just a few minutes walk away, that would receive parcels on my behalf so I could collect at my convenience. The walk would do me good and the dog would enjoy it. I could also collect parcels on behalf of a neighbour or two. There are post offices, parcel shops and Amazon style lockers, but they are too far away.

I do however have a pub just 5 minutes walk away. So what if I asked the landlord of that pub to receive parcels on my behalf.

Well, I did ask, and he said yes. In fact I have asked three landords near me if they would be interested in receiving parcels for local residents and they have all said YES.

Now of course there is detail needed here and the Devil might be hiding in it, but I am absolutely certain it can work... and so are the Landlords. According to Google there are over 75 pubs in and around Tunbridge Wells, and many could be suitable as parcel hubs.

The pub can have Parcel Club with a membership of those who wish to use the service. This becomes an exceptionally valuable recource because, as a condition of membership, the club member allows the pub to communicate via email (and potentially sms). This communication will not only enable staff to inform the club member that their parcel has arrived, but will also open the door to valuable promotions in the knowledge the member is about to enter the premises.

As this service is being provided free of charge, the parcel club member might also become a customer!

How the Customer Places Orders.

Simple! When ordering online, customers would simply use their name, and the pub address as the delivery address for their orders.

How the Courier Delivers Parcels.

The courier will deliver to clearly visible and labelled parcel locker outside the pub. Parcels will be posted through a secure flap or schute forming part of the locker.

How Pub Staff Receive and Retrieve Parcels.

As soon as pub staff are available, they will bring the parcels from the external locker into an internal store pending collection from the club member.

It is envisioned that there will be no charge for this service, a publican would however have the right to charge a service fee for parcels that are not collected within a reasonable time frame.

Security

One advantage of this system is that parcels will never be left in lockers overnight. The lockers will also have low cost 24hr video surveillance so that delivery and retrieval of parcels is clearly monitored. This has to be safer than having parcels left on doorsteps or in gardens!

Liability?

If the publican is offering a free service it is only fair that parcel club members would have to sign a waiver so that publican is not liable should something go wrong, but it's no different to leaving your luggage with a hotel. One option is that the parcel club member pays a small fee for insuring the item(s) whilst in the care of the publican.

It's So Green

When pubs become established as parcel hubs, couriers can consolidate deliveries with less journeys to individual properties, and less failed deliveries.

Thoughts?

Barney Lodge

mr.barneylodge@gmail.com