Learned from experience

I posted this thread in June of 2016 and feel it is approbate now.

I live in Southern California and we get some very hot days, several days ago it was 111˚ at my house. This year we as well as most of the country has experienced a heat wave.  Several years ago I placed a large order of various soaps and creams. The creams were mostly Tabula Rasa. The mail order house generally takes the order the post office in the late afternoon. And because I always follow the tracking number I know that it is trucked to a couple of destinations in the evening. They end up a distribution center around 2:00 AM.  Around 6:00 AM it is delivered to the destination post office which delivers to my house.  About 8:00 AM it is put on a truck but I generally don’t receive my mail until around 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM. So it is on the truck for several hours.  When I opened the box all of the Tabula Rasa creams turned into liquid.  Luckily, I put them in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes and they firmed up. Little did I know that if it is about 95˚ out the back of the mail truck becomes about 120˚ to 130˚ which liquifies many substances. There are two things you can do to avoid this.  Either get a P.O. box even a small one so it stays in an air conditioned building. Or do what I have done; take a copy of the tracking number sheet, bring it to the P.O. and ask them to hold it until you pick it up.  Plan ahead  so you order does not melt in a hot mail truck and ruin your day.

good info

Down here we have neighborhood mailboxes and they sit in the sun. The one that contains my mailbox also faces south so during the summer it gets too hot to even touch. The solution I have found is to only buy soaps and creams using the Oyster Rule; only during months with an "R" in them.

Or have them shipped to your office, if appropriate

Good info. I never gave that much thought.

Or have them shipped to your office, if appropriate

The only problem with shipping to your office, the same thing can happen. Your order can remain in the back of a very hot mail truck.

I've been holding off ordering stuff until it cools down too.

I've been holding off ordering stuff until it cools down too.

There is a place not too far from me and they send it priority mail next day. So, if I order it on Monday I have it on Tuesday. That's a problem. However, if I order something from the Midwest or East Coast it takes a few more days. Another way to do it is as soon as you receive your tracking number print it out and take it to your post office and ask them to hold it there and you will pick it up. This way it stays in an air conditioned post office until you get it.