Discovering a Mysterious New Neighbor

Sometimes we think we know our neighborhood well, but then find an intriguing place we never knew existed. This happened to me recently when I had to return a pair of shoes to Amazon.

These loafers weren’t bad, just a little too snug. So, I did the thing I’ve done for years when I had to give back an Amazon item. I went online to pick my return spot.

That’s when I noticed a place less than ten minutes away. “That’s strange,” I thought, never having seen it before. The site wasn’t the UPS store or Whole Foods. It just said, “Amazon facility.” I became curious.

I drove over and found this immense building I’d passed dozens of times on the main road. It said Amazon on the outside, but as I pulled into the driveway, and drove along one side, I saw there were nowhere to enter. The back parking lot had a few delivery vans, and that’s when I realized I’d discovered the belly of the beast. Was this our local Amazon facility where hundreds? (Thousands? Millions?) of items were shipped each day?

Finally, after circling this massive building twice, I found an unobtrusive door with tiny lettering: Returns. Geez, they don’t make it easy, I thought, as I parked and grabbed my shoes.

Pulling open the door, I came upon a tiny empty white room. On the wall was a touchscreen kiosk. How was I going to return shoes with that? Touching the screen, I was instructed to download a special app on my cell phone.

Frustration started brewing. This was getting too complicated. I needed help.

Looking around, I spied a black door to the right. I took a deep breath and slowly opened it, expecting to find a teeming warehouse full of people, forklifts, and packages on conveyer belts. Instead, the cavernous space was empty and silent. Huge metal shelving sat to the sides, rising to the ceiling, loaded with boxes.

There were no people at all…. except one. A young man sat behind a gray, metal desk in the middle of this huge empty space. I walked toward him, my footsteps echoing. “Hi,” I said as I drew near.

He smiled, looking perplexed by my presence. “Can I help you?”

“I’m trying to return some shoes but got confused with the touchscreen. Could you help me?”

“Sure.”

He rose and accompanied me back to the return room. This time both our shoes echoed in that big, lonely space. Of course, my imagination went immediately to the dark side. What if he was a serial killer who just offed everyone in the building and was taking a quick desk break? What if I’m next?

Instead, we came back to the return room. He tapped the touchscreen a few times, and then deposited my shoes in a wall bin I hadn’t noticed. “You’re all set,” he said with a smile, handing me a receipt.

As I drove away, I couldn’t help wondering, what other hidden worlds are in our neighborhood? Places that I pass all the time but have no idea what goes on there.

I now realize all those Amazon drivers were probably out on their routes, delivering packages to nearby houses, mine included. Maybe that young man was a dispatcher.

Whatever the case, I never went back to that facility, even though convenient. The return system was too complicated. I couldn’t bear bothering that poor guy again. I’m not even sure this return room was for the public.

Call me crazy, but next time I’m sticking to the UPS store.

 

Have you had an unexpected experience in your neighborhood? Comments are always welcome and if you’d like to receive posts by email, just press here. Thank you.