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Original poster

The etiquette of accepting a parcel for a neighbour

119 replies

chickendinnerroasted · 16/12/2023 16:38

A delivery driver knocked at the door last night and asked if I'd accept a parcel for a neighbour about 4 doors down. Sure, no problem.

Around mid-afternoon today no one had knocked for it, so I went down to the neighbour's (who I've never met before) and said I'd taken in a parcel for him and handed it to him. He replied, 'Great, I was waiting for you to bring that over'.

As I went home, got me thinking about the etiquette of accepting parcels for neighbours. If you had a card pushed through your door to say a neighbour had your parcel, would you go round to get it? Or would you wait for the neighbour to bring it?

I just assume that if my neighbour has kindly taken in my parcel, it's my responsibility to go and get it! But apparently my neighbour thinks it's my responsibility to deliver it to him.

Such a minor, pointless issue really!! But it did make me wonder if there's some unspoken etiquette I'm not aware of? Grin

OP posts:
geckofrog · 16/12/2023 16:39

I would expect someone to come and get it though perhaps they didn't want to disturb you so wanted you to deliver to them at a time to suit you

skelter83 · 16/12/2023 16:40

I’ve had a parcel in my hall for a neighbour for the past 5 weeks. You’ve just reminded me it’s there… we’ve got used to it. I’m absolutely not taking it down to their house.

Ilovemyshed · 16/12/2023 16:41

They should come and get it from you. Rude if they did not and I wouldn't take one in again for them

WashItTomorrow · 16/12/2023 16:41

I would expect someone to come and get it. I wouldn’t deliver it to them.

Stresa22 · 16/12/2023 16:41

“No worries! You can always knock on our door!”

dancinfeet · 16/12/2023 16:41

yes he should have come to collect it, how rude of him! My neighbours sometimes take in my parcels- because I finish work late in the evening I sometimes call round the following morning instead, but I always collect.

TheFlis · 16/12/2023 16:42

I would always go and collect asap but have had occasions where the cards have said ‘left with a neighbour’ and not specified which.

WellThatWasUnfortunate · 16/12/2023 16:42

I would expect them to come get it and wouldn’t take it to them. My DH is of the opposite opinion and will take it round. We both go collect our parcels tho

OurfriendsintheNE · 16/12/2023 16:43

That’s so rude! It wouldn’t have crossed my mind that anyone would assume you’d do anything other than go round for it and thank the neighbour for taking it in.

Tereseta · 16/12/2023 16:43

Tbf they don't always specify which neighbour it is

Bobsyouraunty · 16/12/2023 16:44

I’d go and get it but not everyone is like that.

I once had a huge parcel for someone and waited weeks for them to pick up. It was very heavy. Driver had dropped it at ours by mistake. Same number but different street. Their street was was at the top of a hill and wasn’t really accessible by car.

Cousin and I carried it up said hill - and it was very difficult. Came to find that it was a very elderly couple who deffo couldn’t have come to pick it up.

Original poster
chickendinnerroasted · 16/12/2023 16:45

Tereseta · 16/12/2023 16:43

Tbf they don't always specify which neighbour it is

Ah that's a point, I hadn't thought of that. The cards I get nearly always say which number house it's been left at but maybe some couriers don't do that.

OP posts:
PonyPatter44 · 16/12/2023 16:47

Good Lord, that is terribly entitled of him. He should definitely be coming to collect his own bloody parcel!

jemenfous37 · 16/12/2023 16:48

They should come to you. After a week, i f not collected, take it to their place and leave on doorstep.
You are not a courier service nor a parcel storage depot
Nor are you responsible for the package

PuttingDownRoots · 16/12/2023 16:50

If they hadn't collected after a couple of days I would take it round as the delivery slips are frequently inaccurate or missing!

Perfectlystill · 16/12/2023 16:52

They should come and get it from you asap and apologise for the inconvenience.

If I come home to a delivery note I literally go straight out again to pick it up and am slightly embarrassed to have inconvenienced my neighbours, even though they are all lovely.

Greenpolkadot · 16/12/2023 16:52

How rude of him.
I will take parcels in but won't re-deliver them .
If you want your parcel then come and get it

howdoesyourgardengrowinmay · 16/12/2023 16:53

Your neighbour is a cheeky entitled prick. He should have collected from you as soon as possible and been grateful you'd taken it in for him.

We have cheeky entitled pricks round here, I've watched the delivery guy go house to house looking for a neighbour to take in their parcels and get refused.

I'd say the etiquette is to collect the parcel as soon as possible and express gratitude for the favour done for you.

Nevermind31 · 16/12/2023 16:54

I always collect. But once we had a parcel missing, so we reordered it… after about 3 weeks neighbour comes over and hands us a parcel… we didn’t get a notification and she forgot…

EmptyYoghurtPot · 16/12/2023 16:55

We had a photo sent of our delivery - just showed a pair of pink slippers and our box in front of them! No address or number. Luckily my DS was desperate for the parcel so he ran round to all the neighbours till he tracked it down!
I would expect the person to come and collect a parcel I had taken in.

soemptyinside · 16/12/2023 16:57

Round here, the person taking in the parcel sends a message to say they've got the parcel and either offers to drop it off or says when they're in. So, the person who has the parcel chooses how it is then united with its rightful owner.

We don't generally take in parcels where we don't have the owner's phone number!

Doggymummar · 16/12/2023 16:57

My neighbour was similar. We took a parcel whilst they were away for half term. We went away until 12 th November and on 14 th I took it round. Cheeky fucker said oh at last, we thought you'd pinched it. They literally live next door like 20 steps away. Never again.

ThinWomansBrain · 16/12/2023 16:58

I would expect them to come and get it.
AT A REASONABLE TIME OF DAY

had some twats attempting to collect a parcel they claimed had been misdelivered to my apartment block (it had the address for this building so I didn't give it to them anyway) at 11.30pm at night earlier in the week.🙄

bossybloss · 16/12/2023 17:00

I would go round to the house without the parcel and say “Hey entitled prick, there’s a parcel that’s been in my hall for a week… come and get it in the next hour please.’

Tinkerbyebye · 16/12/2023 17:00

I would expect them to come and collect. I just keep the parcel until they do

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