Dreading Christmas returns? New Walmart option means you don’t have to leave home
Christmas is days away, but if you’re already dreading returning those not-quite-right gifts, Walmart has some good news.
The retailer is rolling out a new return option: package pick-up — and it’s here to stay past the holidays, Walmart announced Monday.
Items purchased online — meaning they’re sold and shipped by Walmart — are eligible for returns through Carrier Pickup by FedEx, Walmart said.
Here’s how it works:
- Log on to Walmart.com or open the Walmart app and start your return
- Choose the item you wish to return
- Select Carrier Pickup
- Choose your pick-up date
- Package your return, attach the label and wait for it to be picked up
Walmart notes that Carrier Pickup is only available in areas where FedEx provides Small Parcel Pickup service.
The big box retailer is also adding an option for those who don’t have a printer at home: FedEx drop-off.
Start return on Walmart.com or on the Walmart app then choose Drop Off at FedEx as your return method. From there, you’ll get a QR code. Pack up your return and take it and the QR code to any FedEx Office store. A staff member will scan the code, print your label and ship the return back to Walmart, the company said.
If you prefer in-store returns, Walmart said it’s planning changes to make the process more efficient. Shoppers can now initiate in-store returns online or through the app to save time in line. Walmart also plans to open alternative in-store return locations to help promote social distancing, the company said.
For those who have lost their receipts, Walmart said it will look up transactions for shoppers who paid with deit or credit cards.
The state of holiday shipping
Online shopping sales surged during the pandemic and have only soared higher during the holidays.
Americans spent a record $10.8 billion on Cyber Monday alone, making it the largest online shopping day in U.S. history, according to data from Adobe Analystics, CNET reported.
Amazon also reported having its “biggest holiday season to date” surpassing $4.8 billion in sales from Black Friday to Cyber Monday in 2020 — a 60% increase from last year.
Some experts warned the uptick in online shopping would put significant strain on the shipping industry, causing major delays — a prediction coined “shipageddon,” McClatchy News previously reported.
Carriers hired thousands of extra workers to prepare for the onslaught, but it appears the forecast is coming to pass.
The torrent of mail combined with a historic snowstorm in the Northeast has an estimated 6 million packages awaiting pick-up by Amazon, FedEx, UPS, the U.S. Postal Service and other carriers, CBS reported.
On-time delivery rates have dropped. An estimated 3.5 million packages picked up each day aren’t arrive on time, according to the outlet. Packages shipped by USPS are arriving on-time 86% percent of the time, as opposed to 93% at the end of November, CBS reported.
Overwhelmed private carriers such as FedEx and UPS have cut off deliveries for some businesses, sending them into the hands of the already swamped USPS for delivery, the Washington Post reported.
The postal service can’t reject delivery orders, according to Slate.
This story was originally published December 21, 2020 at 1:28 PM with the headline "Dreading Christmas returns? New Walmart option means you don’t have to leave home."