Amazon has announced the expansion of Counter, a network of staffed pickup points that gives customers the option to pick up their Amazon packages in store at a partner location. Counter has now been added to the stores of Amazon’s partners GNC, Health Mart and Stage Stores.
The solution is part of the Amazon Hub family, including Locker, Locker+ and Apartment Locker. Locker+ locations are secure and convenient locations in neighbourhoods, cities, and university campuses across the U.S. For apartment buildings, Apartment Locker gives residents an opportunity to receive all their packages —from Amazon and elsewhere —at a time of their choosing. To date, Locker is available in more than 900 cities and towns across the U.S. and allows delivery to the items sold on Amazon.com, and works with Same-Day, One-Day, Two-Day and Standard Shipping at no extra cost for Amazon’s customers.
After shopping on Amazon.com, customers proceed to checkout and select one of the Counter pickup points available in their zip code as their delivery location. When their package arrives at the store, customers receive an e-mail notification with a unique barcode as well as a reminder of the address and the business hours of their selected store. At the store, customers provide the barcode to store staff, who scan it, retrieve the package, and hand it to the customer. Customers have 14 days to collect their package.
Since its U.S. launch in June 2019, Amazon Hub Counter has brought in many Amazon customers to partner locations. Customers have ordered everything from kitchen utensils to power tools and even bags of dog food for delivery to a Counter location, with Thursday being the most popular day to pick-up packages. “The response we’ve heard from our customers and partners after the launch of Counter earlier this year has been tremendous,” explains Patrick Supanc, Worldwide Director of Amazon Hub. “They give customers a pickup experience that is fast, flexible and convenient, and partners are thrilled with the strong engagement and additional customers Counter is driving to their stores.”
Laura Temple, pharmacist and owner of Laura’s Health Mart Pharmacy in Azle, Texas, said: “Amazon Hub Counter has given my current patients a new, convenient way to pick up their Amazon packages, and it has also brought more patients to the shop.”
Many retailers, convenience stores, and small businesses have expressed interest in becoming partners.
Source: Amazon
