You've got mail, but probably safer to keep it hush-hush

The other day I was startled to see an ad by an e-retailer on the wall in the elevator at my apartment block: "Place an order while at work, and take deliveries when you go home."

I know many people are doing exactly this, including myself. On one recent morning when I was on my way to office, I realized I was under-dressed for the cold and windy weather. So the first thing I did when I arrived at my desk was to order a pair of cotton thermal pants online to be delivered before I went home.

But I was always a bit guilty of e-shopping instead of working, the same way I felt about surfing the Internet on company time. In addition to lengthy window shopping on e-commerce sites with the multitude of choices available, people would also drop their work immediately when they get a call from deliverymen who make a living from the sheer volume of parcels distributed.