Gifting in the Amazon Age.

If you are like me, more and more of your shopping is happening online. Not only that but you are not the only one sending Amazon packages to your home. Grandmas and Grandpas are even getting in on the action and this leads to an interesting problem. Which Amazon package goes to which child? The last thing you want is trying to explain to your 7-year-old, on Christmas morning, why the new set of carving knives they opened from Grandma weren't meant for them and the Playdoh that mommy got was actually for them. Don't worry, we can solve this problem in just a few easy to follow steps. (complete with pictures!)

We'll do this by showing you and your gift shipping loved ones how to find the tracking number in your Amazon order history. This number conveniently appears on the outside of the Amazon package making it the perfect way to identify which package is for which member of the family. Sure Grandma and Grandpa could individually address each package to each grandchild, but admit it, it's freaking amazing they are ordering anything online in the first place.

Head over to Amazon.com and on the left-hand side of the page towards the top you will see the friendly "Hello Given-name" that tells you that Amazon remembers who you are and has been tracking everything your browser sees to better sell you everything under the sun shipped to your door with free two-day shipping*. This also happens to be a button to get to your account information, so click it.

* for Amazon Prime members, some restrictions apply

While you might think that one of the links under the "Order History" heading would get you where you need to go, you'd be wrong. Remember this is Amazon, it doesn't need to make sense. In fact, making it easy to find directly defeats Amazon's main goal which is to get you to spend as much time as possible on their website. The longer you are there, the more likely you are to find something you can't live without that has been reduced 20% today only. This is the same reason that department stores put their restrooms on the third floor, make the elevators insanely slow and make you walk half way around each floor just to take the next escalator up to the next floor. So by all measures as much as I dislike Amazon for not making sense, I dislike department stores way more.

Your Order History is actually found by clicking on the "Your Orders" button above the "Order History" heading.

Here Amazon is being nice by not just letting any random teenager who happens to find your computer unlocked and snoops to see what you've been ordering. Enter your password and click "Sign in using our secure server"

Scroll through your order history and find the order you are looking for. It doesn't matter whether it has arrived or not as long, as it has shipped, you will have tracking information. Once you find the order you are looking for click the "Track Package" button.

After the candy cane (trust me it's subliminal) animation completes, take a look at the bottom right corner of the box under the "Shipment Details" heading. That's right, this time, it is right where you'd expect it because consistency makes things easy and remember Amazon must not make anything easy. (except for ordering more stuff from Amazon, that they make very very easy.)

Repeat steps 4 & 5 for all your packages, then share this instructable with relatives who sent you stuff from Amazon and have them do the same. When you're done, you'll know exactly which box is for who and you can don your cap and settle your brain for a long winter's nap.

Merry Christmas!