The basic deal they have in my area (metro Detroit) is about $120 per 6 months, with the 7th month free. If you purchase for a year, it's about $240 with 2 additional months free.

You also get a key to check your mailbox after the store closes, but the only downside is you can't actually pick up packages after the store is closed. Instead, they put a note in your box that you have a package. At least at the place I'm at, you have to sign for packages when someone is on staff, so you can't come and pick up packages at 2am or something like that (this is a minor issue for me).

I have most of my packages shipped here because it gives me peace of mind to know that packages are not sitting outside my apartment door. I generally trust my neighbors, but people are always walking through my building, and it's nice to know that someone won't just walk away with a package outside my door.

I've also noticed that for large orders (say above $200), some DVD stores use Priority Mail, signature required. Since I'm often not home when the mail is delivered, it's nice that someone at the mailbox place can sign for the package.

The other plus with the personal mailbox is that some retailers (non-adult DVD) I deal with only use UPS, which means that if I deliver to my apartment, I'll get the note on the outside door saying they will try another delivery, or I can arrange to pick up the package at the UPS distribution center (which is like a 30 minute drive from my place). Having the personal mailbox address means I never miss UPS deliveries anymore.

Finally, I like the fact that other people in my apartment complex can't see that I'm getting DVDs delivered every week!

hope this helps,

pb

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Their hours are from 9 to 7 pm, at least where I live. On Saturday's they are open from 9 to 4pm. I suppose these hours might be different among stores across the country.

I also suppose the procedures for picking up packages might vary, but my UPS store won't let you pick up packages after hours because they want to you to physically sign for it to make sure you are the person who actually picks up the package.

I've seen a mailbox store that has addressed this problem by having one really big locked mailbox for package pickup after hours. They put a key in your personal mailbox and then let you open the storage box to get your package after hours.

Of course you can rent a bigger box. I rent the smallest box possible, which means that most packages don't fit in there. However, having the box allows me to have packages sent to that address, and they are simply held in back for me to pick up when the store is open. The place I'm at does rent some pretty big mailboxes, but I imagine the cost would be more than about 20 bucks per month.

I guess this option makes sense if you do a lot of mail order purchasing. I buy most of my clothes this way, along with protein powders, etc. If you don't make that many mail order purchases, the price of the mailbox rental does not make much sense.

I just got tired of missing the UPS delivery person at my apartment all the time. This works for me because the hours the store is open work for me pretty well.

pb

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I've been buying DVD's from Europe recently and a few of the copanies send their packages via registered mail (signature required). My local post office has recently reduced their hours from 7am-6pm to 8am-5pm, which makes is somewhat inconvenient to pick these items up.

I can get there before work, but even if I show up before 8am, there is a line (and it's never people who are doing something quickly). For the number of packages that I would have sent there, $20 a month is probably too much to spend.

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