Nobody tours an apartment because of the package room. It's the amenity people rank last on a checklist and miss most within a month of leaving one. In a city where a meaningful share of daily life arrives in a cardboard box, who receives that box turns out to matter more than most features that photograph better.
The Problem That Simply Stops
Package theft is a routine feature of New York life in buildings without staff. A box left in a vestibule or on a stoop is available to anyone who follows a resident through the door, and the process of replacing a stolen delivery — filing claims, waiting on hold, rescheduling — costs more time than the item was usually worth.
In a staffed building, this concern disappears rather than shrinking. Deliveries are accepted at the desk, signed for when required, and held until you're home. You stop planning your day around delivery windows, stop having things shipped to your office, and stop treating an expensive purchase as a logistical problem.
How Volume Actually Gets Handled
Delivery volume has grown enormously, and buildings have adapted. Many have dedicated package rooms rather than a corner of the lobby, some with cold storage for grocery and meal-kit deliveries so perishables aren't sitting out for six hours.
Systems vary. Some buildings notify you by text or email when something arrives; others log deliveries and hand them over when you pass the desk. If you order frequently, ask specifically how a building manages volume, whether there's a holding limit, and how long items are kept. The Anthem includes a package room among its amenities, and the concierge can confirm current handling procedures.
Groceries, Meals, and Everything Else
The staffed lobby extends past parcels. Grocery delivery works differently when there's somewhere for an order to go if you're delayed, and meal deliveries are handed off rather than left in a hallway. Dry cleaning pickup and return is simpler when there's a desk in the equation.
For anyone with unpredictable hours — irregular shifts, frequent travel, long days — this is the difference between ordering things and planning around them.
Guests, Keys, and Contractors
The same infrastructure handles people. A visiting friend arriving before you get home has somewhere to wait. A guest can be announced rather than buzzed in blindly. If a relative is coming to town or a repair person needs access while you're at work, the front desk becomes the mechanism that makes it possible, following whatever access procedures the building sets.
Access policies differ meaningfully between buildings, so ask rather than assume. Confirm how visitor access, key release, and contractor entry are handled before you need them.
What to Ask on a Tour
Since this is easy to overlook while you're admiring a kitchen, ask directly: Is the lobby staffed 24 hours or only certain hours? Where do packages go, and is there refrigerated storage? How am I notified? How long are items held? How are guests and contractors handled when I'm not home?
The answers tell you a lot about how a building is actually run — and about how much of your week you'll spend managing logistics rather than living.
The Anthem has a 24-hour doorman and concierge, with package handling on site. Browse available residences or schedule a tour at (212) 684-3222 to see how it works in person.
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