Undelivered Goods. One of the annoyances met with in the delivery department of a large store is the difficulty in making deliveries because people are not at home. Unsuccessful calls are common, and while it is quite the general custom to leave packages with a neighbor, it is not always possible to do this, which means that the package must be returned to the store. And it frequently happens that this brings forth a vigorous complaint from the customer, who is positive that the delivery could have been made.
One merchant has found a simple solution of this difficulty, which could be adopted with profit by all merchants in large cities. Drivers are supplied with slips printed as shown in Fig. 25. When no one is found at home, one of these slips is filled out and left in the mail box. It shows the date, time of day, name of driver, and name of person with whom the package has been left. The use of this slip eliminates complaints and proves a great convenience to the customer.
Fig. 26. Post-Card Notice of Attempted Delivery
When undelivered packages are returned to the store, and nothing is heard from the customer within 48 hours, a postal card notice, Fig. 26, is mailed to the customer. Frequently, failure to deliver is due to the wrong address, but even if the correct address is not found in the directories, the postal authorities usually succeed in locating the customer.
Fig. 27. Special Delivery Tag
Special Deliveries. Every store, especially in large cities, finds it necessary to make special deliveries. The customer from out of town, or about to leave town, wants a package delivered before a certain hour; the delivery may be to a depot, hotel, office, or even a residence. These are the deliveries which cannot wait for the regular trip of the wagon, but are sent by a boy. The important thing, so far as the delivery department is concerned, is to get them out on time.
