AIBU To not want to take parcels?

[moonbeamdream]

I'm currently on maternity leave hence I'm home a lot more than usual at the moment.

Usually I don't mind taking parcels for neighbours, but the last week we have taken at least 2 parcels a day for various neighbours. The neighbours to our left usually get home from work between 4-10pm, the lady next door always arrives home before her partner but he's always sent to collect said parcels from us. Most of the parcels we have taken have been for these neighbours.

At the moment I have four parcels in my porch, and tonight I just thought to myself why should I take parcels for the whole street when only a couple of neighbours take them for us?

AIBU do you not want to take parcel to anybody any more? Part from those that take them for us obviously. I always try and be neighbourly but this is getting beyond a joke. Even the post lady has commented that we are the only house that seems to take everyone's parcels. She even tries to use alternative neighbours as she understands it must be annoying, I think partly it's because I would like it if a neighbour took a parcel for me.

How do I say no if somebody tries to deliver a parcel for neighbour? I know it's easy to just say no but sometimes it's quite hard if that makes sense?

Sorry for such a long post about such a trivial problem

Haha, that's exactly what my neighbour did to me! Except they had never even spoken 2 words to me before (well, apart from knocking to get their parcels) I refused parcels for them going forward

I haven't rtft but if I don't want to take a parcel I just say "sorry, I'm going out in a bit so wont be in to hand it over".

I then smile and close the door. Done!

I used to always take in everyones stuff. I then realised that no one did anything for me.

OP YANBU
Do you always answer the door?

Noot, if that neighbour works funny hours shouldn't you wait for them to come to you? Also they should be saying no to the driver...

All my neighbours are lovely and I'm usually in in day so happy to take, as I know how bloody annoying it is when they've left a card and your heart sinks. Then how lovely it is when you see it's gone to a neighbour's :-)

^ This, I feel the same, if we can help each other out isn't that what being neighbours is all about? If it were a regular occurrence I'd ask those neighbours for their mobile number so I could text "parcel in porch, please collect today". Then if someone didn't regularly pick up I'd start to decline their parcels, isn't it all down to communication?

I'd always take a parcel in for a neighbour, and hope they would take in mine - just neighbourly behaviour. However, if you don't want to do it, then don't - no big deal.

I do not like taking in parcels anymore as once years ago, I (once again) had taken a parcel for the folk across the street. They did not come to collect it for days, so I went over with it one day, and someone was in, I could ruddy see them, but they just blanked me.

Then 2 days later I get a knock on my door after midnight, when I was in bed, and it was the man from across the street asking for his parcel.

However, DH works from home, and he happily takes them in, he is clearly nicer than me, only I get home from work, walk in the front door and end up tripping over several parcels left in the hall. Thankfully our current neighbours do seem to come rather quickly to collect.

I generally do, but not for one neighbour. They left a toaster sized package with me for about 3 - I popped round a couple of times and left a note but they didn't collect.
In the end I texted them and told them I would be sending it back next day, marked not at this address. Which I did 6 days after it had been delivered. They came round that evening to collect and were hacked off when I told them what I'd done.
They don't ask anymore

You could not answer the door but then parcel could be for you. YANBU but it is neighbourly and kind to accept them in.

i'm at home a lot and take many parcels in for immediate neighbours and i don't mind although i did refuse flowers once for a house a few doors down. i couldn't be bothered looking after them tbh.

clearly the couriers know this, yesterday a guy came with a massive parcel for an industrial park half way down the road. when i explained this wasn't the address and explained where it was, he said "oh but it's sunday it will be closed. can i leave it with you?"

errr.... no !

The reason for this is I find it hard to give someone their parcel without having a neighbourly chat and inviting them in for tea. Likewise I am always invited in and don't feel I can say no without being rude

What!!
We normally say ' hiya love, have you got my parcel?'
They say ' yeah, here you go'
'Thanks, see yeah!'

I m glad I haven't got Mrs Doyle for a neighbour!!

If it bothers you put a sign on door ' no parcels for neighbours accepted'

Personally I think it's good to do little favours for people such as neighbours. I can see it is a minor inconvenience, but personally I would be prepared to be put out in order to help people out....and I wouldn't be counting up exactly how many return the favour.
How about just deciding it s a kind thing to do and being willing to bear the slight inconvenience. It doesn't make you a door mat or a martyr. I guess that I'm just a big believer in being willing to help if you can.....if something is a big big effort, then I would think twice and wouldn't necessarily put myself out big time for everyone, but regarding neighbourhoods, I really think they are better places when people are a bit helpful and don't keep tallies.

At the end ay OP, it comes down to attitude. If you are doing this through gritted teeth and feeling furious, well just stop. Either put a sign up about not taking parcels or be willing to say it to people. Or just have a further think about it and decide if during this period while you are at home, you might be able to see a positive in doing this to help people,nespecially if you being at home is a short time period be you return to work.

You might want a favour one day and even if you don't, little bits of neighbourly friendliness make the world a btter place....but not if done grudgingly.

YABU. It's about the only neighbourly thing modern life permits these days.

YABU I work pt its swings and roundabouts sometimes I'm in and sometimes I'm not. It's a pain in the bum driving across town to the head post office so I am grateful if people take parcels in for me and I don't have a problem taking parcels in for others. Sometimes I take parcels round to get rid of them if I spot someone returning home and some neighbours do the same. Other times we collect or if I've tried a couple of times I let them collect. It doesn't cost anything to be neighbourly. You reap what you sow etc.
However, if you are worried you are going to be. Jay with young baby pretty soon then you could always put a note on new mum cold callers parcels please do not disturb. But I would imagine you maybe quite glad of the interaction with post person and neighbours if your stuck at home all day. Also you never know when you might need a favour from your neighbours.

Hmm. I dont think yabu exactly if it is really regularly happening.
I used to be home a lot in the day and would get a lot of parcels for my neighbour. It didnt bother me in the slightest, except for the one time they had a bike delivered and were away so it was in my very narrow hallway for the best part of the week!
Now I am out at work all day and the same neighbour always gets my parcels. I am lucky to have my parents at home all day so I deliver to them instead as they dont mind at all, I was starting to feel like a real pain in the arse having to pick it up from them all the time. The only reason I was having it delivered to home was cos it was small items O expected to go through a letterbox. Only, certain companies insist on using huge boxes even for tiny items so they have to be taken in cough amazon cough

When i say the same neighbour, i dont mean the bike people. I have moved from there... i mean the same neighbour where i live now gets all my deliveries. Bike person i would happily abuse with my parcels as my turn for all my good deeds!

Don't answer the door.

I'm in all day as I work from home and the volume of parcels I get asked to take in is increasing daily! It's every day, at least a couple of times and is now for people so far up the road that I've never met them. I've always been ok to take parcels in but I feel that it's starting to take the piss. People I don't know show up late in the evening and I have to answer in my pjs, which feels really intrusive. I don't think YABU at all to want to cut back, I think I will.

YANBU - it's entirely up to you whether you want to be disturbed many times a day or not . I left work recently and I have ended up getting a lot more than before and I actually refused one as it would have taken up the whole hallway . Let them put a card through and the person the parcel is for can sort it out !

I could have wrote this! I normally work 20 hrs a week split between 3 jobs but works just around the corner so I pop home between shifts and sometimes get the odd parcel for neighbours because of this. Now I'm on maternity leave it's constant. The other day I got 4 in one day!! I wouldn't care but whenever I miss a parcel not one of my neighbours are in to collect it. Suppose it's one of those first world problems

I would get annoyed by this, once in a while is neighbourly. Twice a day is taking the piss. I feel bad about people taking in my parcels so I always make arrangements -most companies have an instructions box where you can ask for it to be left at the back door or in your bike shed or something. Or else I get them delivered to dh at work. No reason why your neighbours can't make similar arrangements for most of their parcels.

I am a SAHM and I often get parcel delivery people asking me to take parcels in for one particular neighbour now and again and I always take them in because I think they work all day until late ( always leave early
And get back late) so they can't be in for them and I don't mind because I'm at bike so it doesn't bother me. Also they have taken parcels for me on the odd occasion when their off work and the delivery man comes whilst I'm on the school run!
I think now and again is fine but If your having parcels sat in hot porch every day it's perfectly fine to refuse some of them as it just get tedious

I work nights and if I need to sleep I put a sign on the door saying "night shift worker, please only knock if you have a delivery for our address"

Couriers still knock and wake me up. Once I'm awake I find it really hard to fall back to sleep which is so frustrating particularly if I'm then working another night shift

My next door neighbour on a bad day gets up to three different parcels and as they're out, it's my doorbell that gets rung. It's so annoying

As he was delivering the third parcel in three days for my next door neighbour who, ordinarily, does not even acknowledge my existence, the courier let slip that said neighbour had put an instruction on the delivery saying 'if not in, deliver to Piff at no 123'. Cheeky bastard. I might have dropped that one, hard....

I'm a sahm and have been for 8 years. I regularly take in parcels for the neighbours but it doesn't bother me as they take in parcels for me when I'm out shopping or on the school run. The last one was a new mattress for my son. If my neighbour hadn't been willing to have it would have been a big hassle to get.
Surely it's just being neighbourly.