"A lot of people think it is a bit of a joke to see a postman being bitten by a dog but it is a serious matter, " said Mike Leach, a delivery office manager.

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Daniela Bolzmann, a marketing manager for WeDeliver, a Chicago business-delivery startup, has churned through 40 different apps since graduating from college in 2010.

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At the Johnson City, Tenn. distribution center, manager Kathleen Gage has switched from solid Styrofoam boxes for delivery of refrigerated vaccines (90 cents each) to cardboard lined with Styrofoam (30 cents).

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