And both just arrived!
So now that we have a general consensus that’s it’s okay, unless you’re being completely out of bounds about it, sharing time:
Even though I know it’s fine, and everyone else does it, I don’t like doing it. It always just feels wrong somehow, despite the fact that every single day there is at least one item on the shipping log from some place so very obviously not business related. I’ve given in precisely twice at my current position and had things delivered to the office, because shipping times are ridiculous. They want me to be home to accept, yet they deliver during working hours. What kind of nonsense is this? Are they specifically tailored for the unemployed? Jeez. This was during the year end fiasco at work, and there was just no way I would be able to duck out of work early in order to receive the packages, so I just had them sent to my job.
Anecdote #2: In my less giving-a-fuck days, when I worked for the world’s shadiest “talent agency,” I couldn’t give a good goddamn about what was shipped to the office. I had booze from BevMo shipped there, for chrissakes. Didn’t give a shit because I hated the job, I hated the agency, and as any commissioned worker knows, top earners can do pretty much whatever they please. The a/c broke one day, and this is a So Cal summer mind you, so I walked out and said “Call me when you fix this,” and would not come back until they did. I went home to an apt that wasn’t air-conditioned, but whatever. The point was: fuck them. What were they gonna do? Fire me? Ha! So yeah, I had things delivered there that you probably shouldn’t have delivered to your job.
Anyway, in conclusion, nobody cares if you have a package from Amazon sent to you at work.
I do it all the time, and get a fair number of things delivered. I’m careful to thank the folks in receiving for it, and treat it as a favor and kindness on their part, and when somebody new starts in that department, I ask them if it would be OK. Every one of them has said it was.
Though, I think doing something like running a side business would be way out of line, as would taking it for granted. And when I am occasionally in the position to do them some kindness, I am quick to try!
I said both “Yes it’s OK” and “Depends on the contents/frequency”.
I think getting a small package at work on occasion is fine, even if you have mailroom staff who have to sort and/or handle it. The general rule is if you take any work home, you should be able to handle some home stuff at work, including getting packages occasionally.
Obviously, it’s not cool if one is abusing it for the sake of convenience, or to avoid paying sales taxes (something I’ve seen before, since I work near Portland OR, where there’s no sales tax, and some of the folks who live in Vancouver WA get big-ticket items shipped to work). But on occasion? Sure.
Depends on contents, frequency and policies. I’ve had it done more than once, but always ask first to verify it’s fine.
Another on the “Yes” gang. With an exception or two.
I’m an IT guy, and won’t have personal computers delivered to a workplace, especially if it’s the same brand as we use at work. Too much potential for someone to think it’s company property, instead of personal property. Instead, I had it shipped to my wife’s work, where nobody will ever consider that she’d be walking off with a PC… she had to ask for help to load it up from one of the men in the office. 
I’ve had everything from clothing to food to live tropical fish delivered to the office. No worries.
I do make a habit of lettign the mailroom staff know when I’m expecting something, and leave a card so that they can call me conveniently.
And if it’s Wolfermann’s I pretty much expect to give up a muffin or two . . .
I think it’s fine to have it delivered to your work, but why would you have to take a day off otherwise? If you’re not there to sign for it, they leave a note and then you simply pick it up at the local ups at your convenience.
Obviously not applicable to the OP (“guitar strings”) but some packages are a bit more time-sensitive. See: above, “live tropical fish.”
I assume most of the folks who voted “no” are at companies where this is not allowed, but I’d be curious to hear from people who voted “no” for other reasons (moral high ground, etc.)
50 employee office.
No problem with personal packages. I almost never have anything delivered at home anymore. Furniture & stuff, obviously- but small packages? They’re coming to the office, because it’s easier and more secure.
Going down to the depot is a pain in the butt. Hanging around all day waiting is out of the question. Coming home and finding a package left unattended in a common area is infuriating.
A lot of work-related deliveries are addressed to me (facilities manager,) so a few personal ones aren’t gonna make a difference - but even still, plenty of other people receive packages as well. If your employer doesn’t forbid it (and it’s not creating a hassle) why not?
It’s against the rules at my agency, although I know some people do it from time to time. Of course, anything sent here via US mail is subject to being irradiated, and the security screening can add two weeks to the delivery time.
Maybe people who have those little, vertical apartment mailboxes that were designed only to accommodate a regular envelope? Or maybe people watching movies they don’t want their spouse to see? I dunno.
I do it all the time, as do many other people here. Same at my last job. FWIW, the last job was an office of 12-15 people, where I work now is a building with about 600.
It didn’t make any sense to me either. It was in a rural area and I know some of the people lived in apartments out in the boonies/marsh. Perhaps they used P.O. boxes and this saved them a 20 minute drive to the post office? Then again, there were also a lot of grad students so it’s entirely possible they were just watching movies at work!
For years I didn’t have any other decent place to have packages delivered. No one was going to be home during delivery hours (or people were unlikely to be). I’ve never had a problem with it. Recently, my school principal even led me around looking for a package. I didn’t tell him it was my car stereo, bought online, but he didn’t imply he cared what it was.
Because you work crazy long hours, and the local UPS is only open during normal business hours? That’s certainly why I have any packages that can’t be safely left on my doorstep shipped to my workplace.
Or because even in the third-largest city in the U.S., the “local” UPS depot is nearly 30 miles away, and you’d rather not drive 60 miles round-trip, some of it on toll roads, to pick up a 5 lb. package.
Or its because the package contains your tubeless insulin pump supplies, which are temperature sensitive, and would otherwise get left out in hot* Alabama weather.
*In the summertime of course. Right now, its more like the coldest winter ever! Still not good for the supplies.
Where I work they are dropped off with the security guard, they are scanned and the person it is for picks it up from the security guard. No one cares.