ZipCodes: Did you know that ZipCodes do not follow a logical/geographical progression? 12037 is near me in NY, and 12038 is in CA. I'm trying to find a Covid appointment for my son at...

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Did you know that ZipCodes do not follow a logical/geographical progression? 12037 is near me in NY, and 12038 is in CA. I'm trying to find a Covid appointment for my son at Walgreens, but they limit each search to 25 miles around each ZipCode. Going through one after the other, I found an appointment in 12038 - California! As it is now, he has to wait till April for a shot.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I can't fine where zip 12038 is located, I think it's a typo.
I really don't believe ZIP 12038 is in California.
Maybe S/B 92038 (California)?

List of CA ZIPs: https://www.zipcodestogo.com/California/

Tstplt Loc: Northwest Arkansas

zip Code 12038 is Buskirk, NY

rcarol

Longshadow wrote:

I can't fine where zip 12038 is located, I think it's a typo.
I really don't believe ZIP 12038 is in California.
Maybe S/B 92038 (California)?

List of CA ZIPs: https://www.zipcodestogo.com/California/

My findings are identical to yours.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

You're wrong Jerry. Calif zip codes are in the 9**** range. Arizona is in the 8**** range. East coast is in the 1**** range or 0**** range. Mostly the low numbers are east coast and the numbers go up the further west you go...

StanMac Loc: Tennessee

Using their zip code lookup, the USPS website tells me that zip code 12038 is an invalid zip code.

Stan

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

StanMac wrote:

Using their zip code lookup, the USPS website tells me that zip code 12038 is an invalid zip code.

Stan

Funny - Walgreens thinks 12038 is in CA. I don't know what country this chart refers to. Entering 12038 zipcode at the Walmart site gets me a chance for an appointment in CA - if I am a resident of the state.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

jerryc41 wrote:

Funny - Walgreens thinks 12038 is in CA. I don't know what country this chart refers to. Entering 12038 zipcode at the Walmart site gets me a chance for an appointment in CA - if I am a resident of the state.

You mean the data display thinks that. I'll bet Walgreens doesn't. I'll bet Walgreens doesn't know the data is hokey.
Poor data entry into the database?
Screw-up on the programmer's part?

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Longshadow wrote:

You mean the data display thinks that. I'll bet Walgreens doesn't. I'll bet Walgreens doesn't know the data is hokey.
Poor data entry into the database?
Screw-up on the programmer's part?

They did it again. I was working on an appointment in the 12040 zip code, and it had me going to Utah.

12040 is in Cherry Plain, north of me, although it sounds like something you'd get at a soda fountain. "I'll have a banana split and a cherry plain."

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

jerryc41 wrote:

They did it again. I was working on an appointment in the 12040 zip code, and it had me going to Utah.

12040 is in Cherry Plain, north of me, although it sounds like something you'd get at a soda fountain. "I'll have a banana split and a cherry plain."

Their database/display routine is screwed up.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Jerry, you have to stop believing that everything on the internet is accurate 😁

The first two names (in parentheses) on your list are cities in Guatemala.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Linda From Maine wrote:

Jerry, you have to stop believing that everything on the internet is accurate 😁

...

THAT is an understatement!

jfdnp Loc: Coastal Connecticut

jerryc41 wrote:

Funny - Walgreens thinks 12038 is in CA. I don't know what country this chart refers to. Entering 12038 zipcode at the Walmart site gets me a chance for an appointment in CA - if I am a resident of the state.

Those are all in Mexico!

Red6

jerryc41 wrote:

Did you know that ZipCodes do not follow a logical/geographical progression? 12037 is near me in NY, and 12038 is in CA. I'm trying to find a Covid appointment for my son at Walgreens, but they limit each search to 25 miles around each ZipCode. Going through one after the other, I found an appointment in 12038 - California! As it is now, he has to wait till April for a shot.

No, the first digit represents a geographic zone, which may include several states within that zone. The next two digits designate a postal sector within that zone which is usually a state. A state may have multiple postal sectors and therefore multiple zip codes.

Generally, the zip codes start at 01..... in the northeast and progress to 90...... in the west, including Alaska, Hawaii, and the other island possessions.

Red6

Longshadow wrote:

You mean the data display thinks that. I'll bet Walgreens doesn't. I'll bet Walgreens doesn't know the data is hokey.
Poor data entry into the database?
Screw-up on the programmer's part?

I think many of the pharmacies (and health departments) have rushed their software into use to get the covid vaccine out. It is not fully tested and appears to have a lot of bugs. Also, it does not appear to work from a central database as it appears to not cross-check to verify other appointments.

My wife and I were trying to make appointments at the local Kroger pharmacy for our shots. All the local stores in our area were giving the shots but it kept telling us that there were no appointments available. However, a few hours later we both received emails telling us that we had multiple appointments at several different stores. I had 7 different appointments at one store and multiple ones at two others. Apparently, every time we CHECKED what appeared to be an open appointment, it was actually making the appointment but TELLING us that it was unavailable.

We eventually got it all cleared up and received our shots but what a mess.