Amazon Prime subscribers offered $10 to collect deliveries over $25 from pickup locations. Amazon also charges $1 for UPS returns.
For Amazon orders over $25, Prime subscribers can receive $10 if they pick up their deliveries from designated locations, such as Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh, or Kohl’s.
The scheme is part of Amazon’s push to lower delivery costs, encouraging customers to pick up deliveries themselves instead of expecting a home delivery, reports The Economic Times.
Shipping to rural locations is particularly expensive for Amazon, and pickup locations will reduce fuel and staffing costs. Interestingly, Amazon is not the first e-commerce platform to offer this choice.
This is not the only thing Amazon has changed recently regarding delivery.
Amazon will also begin charging $1 for returning products through UPS if a designated pickup location close to the customer’s address.
The decision to charge for returns could be controversial; however, retailers such as Zara and H&M already enforce this. That said, $1 is a small fee applicable in certain circumstances.
Time will tell how effective Amazon’s carrot-and-stick approach will be for delivery and returns. $10 to pick up deliveries could prove popular, but it is unclear how long it will be offered.