The emotions are relatable, but the examples are strange and don't back up his argument. It is true that there are many situations in modern life where a smartphone has become effectively mandatory.
But Ali Express is not one of those. It's very feasible to delete the app, or at least turn off the notifications. The quality of TV writing may have taken a nosedive but nobody is forcing you to watch TikTok Empire. If you long for the golden age of television, you can find disc versions of The Wire, Mad Men, The Sopranos etc. Often they're free to borrow at your local library. The App Store is indeed garbage, but I open it a handful of times per year and probably spend less than a minute to search for the app I want and install it.
The argument about losing control to devices would be much more effective if the examples weren't mainly cases where the user clearly has control.
In a world where a random crackhead is all too happy to steal literally any box placed in your mail box or on by your door it can be quite useful to know exactly when the box shows up, or is at least expected to show up.
Most of us don't have to worry about random crackheads stealing packages from our mailboxes or doorsteps, so I think the parent's stipulation of a narrow segment of society holds.
> Most of us don't have to worry about random crackheads stealing packages from our mailboxes or doorsteps
Well of course, most of HN is extremely privileged and thus isolated from such problems. I wouldn't expect the average tech worker in a gated community or access controlled apartment complex to get it.
It's not a problem for 99% of the country. No "crackhead" is going door to door between cornfields with a mile between houses, scoping out everyone's porches daily. I'm sorry you're having those problems, but the world is a big place, don't assume everyone lives the same life as you.
Even for the narrow segment of society in that situation, you're not required to give your money to Apple and then stay home 24/7 to immediately scoop up your packages. You could get a lockbox too, and guess what, they're cheaper than phones.
> Overall, total estimated annual losses range from a low of $5.2 billion in 2023
to $16 billion in 2024
> In 2024, the U.S. ecommerce market reached an estimated $1.22 trillion in revenue
So... between 0.4% and 1.3% of packages by value are affected, concentrated in specific geographic areas. A narrow segment of society highly affected, complaining often and making the issue seem wider than it is. The rest of us living our lives as normal.
This still feels like an American-biased problem though. Global News covered [0] a FedEx survey with one-in-four Canadians reporting parcel theft... without mentioning the time period. One in four over a lifetime isn't good, but it's not the one-in-three annually that you mentioned in the states.
CTV covered [1] how it was only roughly one-in-ten annually as well, which is again a far cry from the numbers in the states.
Does it happen? Yes. Is tracking a harder requirement for Americans due to a lower-trust society? I would say yes as well. Personally, I consider it nice to have, not required.
In Vienna of all places this has become very common since we got some badly designed mailboxes. Because they don’t trust the delivery guys they don’t have a key but the flipside is that anyone with enough time can get out stuff via the top big slit. Now they also have big boxes with locks but to open them they drop you an nfc letter in your box.
So the junkies look for the bright yellow letters and open your packages. If it was clothes you will find them somewhere on the street close by
You're really moving the goalposts here. You started with "anyone who receives their packages is extremely privileged" and ended with "theft is something that retailers must be aware of in the course of their business". Obviously I agree with the second statement, but not the first.
Going back to your original post, now that we have some numbers to work with, do you really believe that 70.3% of Americans are "extremely privileged" people living in gated communities?
I live in a small farm town, about the furthest you could get from a gated community or access controlled apartment complex, and have never had a package stolen either.
Well, no, I live in Romania and I get a SMS when the package enters the country (aprox. 2 days before) and the delivery guy calls me 10 min before he arrives. We're not priviledged here and I very rarely track a package.
I live in a densely populated suburban apartment complex with absolutely no gating or restrictions on access. People much worse off than I am are close neighbors, and homeless people wander nearby. Yet I have never, ever had a package stolen.
cjpearson · · focus · HN ↗
But Ali Express is not one of those. It's very feasible to delete the app, or at least turn off the notifications. The quality of TV writing may have taken a nosedive but nobody is forcing you to watch TikTok Empire. If you long for the golden age of television, you can find disc versions of The Wire, Mad Men, The Sopranos etc. Often they're free to borrow at your local library. The App Store is indeed garbage, but I open it a handful of times per year and probably spend less than a minute to search for the app I want and install it.
The argument about losing control to devices would be much more effective if the examples weren't mainly cases where the user clearly has control.
dwedge · · focus · HN ↗
pc86 · · focus · HN ↗
SkyeCA · · focus · HN ↗
bigstrat2003 · · focus · HN ↗
SkyeCA · · focus · HN ↗
Well of course, most of HN is extremely privileged and thus isolated from such problems. I wouldn't expect the average tech worker in a gated community or access controlled apartment complex to get it.
nvme0n1p1 · · focus · HN ↗
Even for the narrow segment of society in that situation, you're not required to give your money to Apple and then stay home 24/7 to immediately scoop up your packages. You could get a lockbox too, and guess what, they're cheaper than phones.
SkyeCA · · focus · HN ↗
> going door to door between cornfields with a mile between houses
That's not the type of situation most people live in.
>don't assume everyone lives the same life as you
Likewise.
nvme0n1p1 · · focus · HN ↗
> Overall, total estimated annual losses range from a low of $5.2 billion in 2023 to $16 billion in 2024
> In 2024, the U.S. ecommerce market reached an estimated $1.22 trillion in revenue
So... between 0.4% and 1.3% of packages by value are affected, concentrated in specific geographic areas. A narrow segment of society highly affected, complaining often and making the issue seem wider than it is. The rest of us living our lives as normal.
s1artibartfast · · focus · HN ↗
I would complain very loudly as well.
> 29.7% of U.S. households experienced package theft within a single 12-month period.
That seems like enough households to make tracking an important feature for most retailers.
While many of those packages might be classified as junk, others might contain medicine for your child or an auto part needed to get to work.
<a href="https://www.omnisend.com/porch-pirates/?utm_source=gemini&hl=en-US#:~:text=Omnisend's%20analysis%20estimates%20that%20Americans%20lost%20%2412.8,In%20many%20cases%2C%20retailers%20absorb%20the%20cost." rel="nofollow">https://www.omnisend.com/porch-pirates/?utm_source=gemini&hl...
xethos · · focus · HN ↗
CTV covered [1] how it was only roughly one-in-ten annually as well, which is again a far cry from the numbers in the states.
Does it happen? Yes. Is tracking a harder requirement for Americans due to a lower-trust society? I would say yes as well. Personally, I consider it nice to have, not required.
[0] <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/6196297/canada-porch-pirates-fedex-survey/" rel="nofollow">https://globalnews.ca/news/6196297/canada-porch-pirates-fede...
[1] <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/article/one-out-of-10-canadians-had-packages-stolen-in-the-past-year-survey/" rel="nofollow">https://www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/article/one-out-of-10-canadia...
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nasmorn · · focus · HN ↗
So the junkies look for the bright yellow letters and open your packages. If it was clothes you will find them somewhere on the street close by
nvme0n1p1 · · focus · HN ↗
Going back to your original post, now that we have some numbers to work with, do you really believe that 70.3% of Americans are "extremely privileged" people living in gated communities?
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nvme0n1p1 · · focus · HN ↗
pc86 · · focus · HN ↗
nvme0n1p1 · · focus · HN ↗
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themadturk · · focus · HN ↗