Chris Booker (above) and his wife, Dixie, do more than just deliver packages in town - they track down where the packages need to go when online shoppers don't give a complete address with their order.
As the holiday season approaches and online shopping continues to rise, Wrangell's delivery service faces challenges getting its job done in a timely fashion as it contends with missing address information.
Chris and Dixie Booker, who own C&D Deliveries, play detective, using Facebook and other resources to lead them to the right location.
"We have a bit of investigative work to do ourselves," Chris Booker said. "Our company is in charge of figuring out those kinds of situations. It gets to be challenging."
Incomplete names, missing or incorrect physical addresses, as well as parcels labeled as general delivery to the post office had "gotten completely out of hand," the Bookers reported in an Aug. 28 Facebook post.
They requested that shoppers provide complete physical addresses as well as first and last names when placing online orders.
Operating in Wrangell since 2019, C&D Deliveries delivers to homes and businesses of all sorts and sizes of packages brought to town by UPS, Lynden Air Freight, and Western Parcel Express.
"We have contracts to deliver medication to the pharmacies," said Chris Booker, "We provide deliveries for anyone who wants to hire us."
There is one major package hauler not serviced by C&D. FedEx shipments go straight to post office boxes.
While residents are accustomed to using post office box addresses for mail delivery, physical addresses are required for anything handled by C&D Deliveries, which cannot just drop off packages at the post office.
To ensure delivery, Booker said it's best for shoppers to provide their full name, both their street address and post office box and a phone number as a point of contact whenever possible.
Another common delivery problem is people not updating their physical addresses after moving. "If they move and change addresses and don't tell us," Booker said, "we have no way of knowing that unless they contact us."
He also mentioned that these types of delivery issues aren't unique to Southeast Alaska. "I'm told this is a nationwide thing, not just Alaska." While UPS and FedEx maintain their own fleet of delivery agents and contract workers in larger towns, they often do not have a presence in smaller, rural areas.
Recently, Wrangell shoppers have gotten better at providing their full and correct shipping information. "That actually seems to be getting better since Dixie's post on Facebook," Booker said.
There had been some complaints over delivery delays, which Dixie Booker wryly described in her Facebook post as "unmerited butt chewings." But her husband said that for the most part, residents have been patient and tolerant.
"Typically, people are understanding," Booker said. "Sometimes they call just to check."
To update name or physical address changes, or for more information, contact C&D Deliveries via a message on their office phone at 907-874-4575 or send a message through their Facebook page at facebook.com/cddeliveries/.
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