Just in time for the busy holiday season, FedEx announced it now has pickup locations at 7,500 Walgreens stores across the U.S., shy of the 8,000 it promised to have online by the end of October when the deal was announced in January.
FedEx also has pickup locations at select Albertson’s and Kroger grocery stores, in addition to its own 1,800 retail stores. This is part of its FedEx OnSite program which allows customers to pick up, drop off, hold or redirect packages to partner locations.
“We are thrilled to have reached this significant milestone for our customers ahead of the holiday season, and we look forward to continuing to work with Walgreens to offer convenient and secure pickup and drop-off services around the country,” said Raj Subramaniam, executive vice president, chief marketing and communications officer for FedEx in a release. “As online shopping grows, our customers are searching for flexible options, and we stand ready to deliver.”
Through the OnSite program, FedEx claims 80% of the U.S. population is within nine minutes of one of its locations. By comparison UPS has more than 8,700 Access Point locations, including 5,000 of its own stores as well as local small business partners, saying there is one within 10 miles of 84% of the U.S. population.
MCM Musings: Both major carriers are working hard to offer more convenience and flexibility to both end customers and shipper clients, something that shows up time and again in research on consumer expectations of a seamless shopping experience. The more they’re able to consolidate ecommerce parcels at pickup locations, the more they save in the last mile. This is similar to the growing use of buy online, pickup in store for omnichannel retailers, an option that adds shopper convenience while lessening supply chain costs.