Shipping and the iPhone 7 - a warning and an interesting path

I ordered 2 iPhone 7s.  They were both to arrive some time at the end of the month.  And then, they were to come today!

One iphone showed up Monday.  I happened to be in the shower at the exact moment the delivery attempt happened.  But with a wonderful UPS driver, he came back later and delivered!  That was a very happy experience.

Knowing I might not be available the precise second a delivery was attempted, and not wanting to pre-sign for the iphone and worrying it could be stolen,  I changed the delivery location for the second iphone to a local UPS Store.  DO NOT DO THIS.

The outcomes from this action:

1. My iphone was in the US when I changed the destination (by about 1 mile).  It went back to China!  It was in China 3 times total in the end.  This travelling miracle was completed in only a couple of days.
2. Once it was ready for delivery today, they had an address problem.  Wait.  How can UPS have an address problem with a UPS Store?  UPS Stores are not part of UPS.  Not really.  They are franchise businesses.  I am not sure if it is because of a deal with Apple, or packages requiring signature, but the iPhone could not be left with a UPS Store.  But the online status did not say this.  It said, "Your package is in transit. We're updating plans to schedule your delivery. / The package will be forwarded to a UPS facility in the destination city." I had that message the day I made the request, as well as this morning.
3. A bit later today I saw, "Directions to the address are required to complete delivery. We are attempting to update this information. / The address was corrected." The correct interpretation of this is, "We aren't allowed to deliver it how you asked.  We didn't bother to tell you that.  When we feel like it, we'll get back to you, but definitely not today."
4. I called UPS, waited on the phone for a while, eventually got to talk to a person.  After a while, they said, "Oh, this is an Apple shipment.  I have to transfer you to a special team dealing with Apple shipments."  So I waited for a while and got to a person.  I came to understand that the UPS Store delivery was not an option.  Can they fix it so this problem does not happen to anyone else?  No.  Otherwise, my conversation went something like this:
1. So... what is an option?  Delivery to my original address, or depot pickup.  Where is my iphone?  At the depot.  Can I go pick it up?  Not until tomorrow.  But, it is not on a truck?  It is at the depot?  Yes.  But I cannot pick it up now?  I can pick it up tomorrow.  I will need to change my delivery preferences online.  They cannot do it for me now on the phone?  No.  (eventually they did change it for me).  I continued asking if I could pick it up today.  They eventually called the depot and told me to expect a call in an hour.  But an hour from now is very near when they close...
5. I had gotten driving to the depot during the end of the conversation.  I had clearly written the tracking number, my name, and address on a piece of paper.   I asked for help at the depot.  They gave me the iphone (with ID).  

What did I learn

1) Don't change the destination

2) If you do, change it to the depot.

3) Never use a UPS Store if you can avoid it.  (I have had other UPS Store problems, but never related to Apple before)