Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Amazon bypasses the mail, lets 7-11 deliver

Online retailer Amazon is testing a locker-based system at select 7-Eleven stores, according to The Daily.

The new system would allow an Amazon customer to choose a nearby 7-Eleven store for package pickup. A special online PIN would allow them to go to a locker inside the store, unlock the device and retrieve their parcel.

Image courtesy of Geekwire, John Cook.
The testing is going on in Seattle.

What do you think? A threat to USPS parcel delivery? Comment here.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is Amazon going to have their own people deliver the packages to 7 - 11? Or will the Post Office deliver the package to 7 - 11 and the Owner/Employee will put it in the Locker? If it is the latter, then we will still be delivering the mail and getting the postage for it. Please let us know!

Grannybunny said...

I think the Amazon parcel lockers are a bigger threat to our competitors than they are to USPS. USPS delivers to every door every day, and our carriers know where to leave a parcel when the customer is not home, or if it is not safe to leave. UPS "knocks and drops," and leaves before even determining whether someone is home. FedEx will leave it with anyone, even a neighbor with whom you a feuding. This does not apply -- of course -- to the 30% of UPS and FedEx parcels that we carry "the first and last mile." Customers don't have to dread deliveries from the Postal Service -- especially, if they're not sure they'll be home to receive them -- like they do with our so-called "competitors."

Anonymous said...

Amazon would deliver. Read the link in the article.

Exhume said...

As for myself I am already going to stop at my mail box, I would not want to add another stop. Even if the Post Office has done away with Saturday delivery..I can wait till Monday.

Anonymous said...

What??? How absurd.

Anonymous said...

WOW.....Does someone really care about this?

Anonymous said...

The closest 7-11 is 194 miles away from here.

Anonymous said...

Congress is a bigger threat....

Anonymous said...

Why not work in conjunction with this idea. Set delivery points to these locations and work in conjunction with Amazon, potentially offer a discount for these delivery locations. It could end up helping us streamline our delivery processes.

Anonymous said...

everyone wants the parcel business and so, creativity will abound on this front.

jasmine krotkov said...

If it were my parcel, I wouldn't want to pay for delivery by some anonymous, underpaid, overworked truckdriver to a location not protected by federal penalties for theft. Insurance? The Postal Service provides that with their rigorous standards of trust.

Anonymous said...

I read the article twice and still do not see WHO will be delivering the package to 7-11. It only say's that when the article is delivered . . . . How will the package get to the 7-11??? That is not clear! By the way, I do not think this is going to work! For them to set up all these boxes and then if THEY (Amazon) are going to be delivering packages all over the country - it will cost them dearly.

Anonymous said...

You're right, the article just says "the delivery guy" will take it to the 7-11. It doesn't specify who this "delivery guy" works for. Last I checked, there weren't a bunch of parcel delivery trucks out there emblazoned with the Amazon logo!

The article also says that Amazon would send a barcode to your smart phone, which not everyone has.

While this may test well in large metro areas, it will not come to the rural areas of America. I don't see this as a huge threat to the USPS, but I think it would still be wise to keep an eye on it.

Anonymous said...

We don't seen any 7-11s within our "range" and we're ranging across two states between my house, my husband's house, my workplace and my in-law's farm - it's about 150 miles by 120 miles if I roughly "square" it off. Amazon better have another plan, too, or they'll lose me as a customer! Barnes & Nobles gets things directly to either of our houses.

FrancisSAisPMP said...

I do not think it does not matter who delivers. It will be competitive market place for PO box for USPS,UPS,Fedex or any new delivery service provider who can compete. When Amazon can provide this option why can't USPS provide this service to its own mail boxes. We should eventually have electronic locks for these PO boxes. In a short term, we can provide with valid ID the customer can pickup from local postal office reserved by Amazon for a fee to Amazon for providing this service to Amazon customers. USPS need to tap the doors of big vendors like these to tap these markets and business. We can also outsource amazon to provide these mailboxes at USPS just as they are providing it to 7-11.

Barb said...

All of our mail in rural Nevada is delivered to postal boxes, no 7-11 stores within 170 miles and our convenience stores are only open 7 to 9 p.m. - I can see the convenience for urban residents who don't have the ability to go to a post office to pick up their parcels, but see that this would be a good partnership for the post office to get into on other items! I wish our local post office had parcel lockers for those who cannot come between 8:30 and 4:30 to pick up their parcels...

Anonymous said...

According to an article I read in "the morning report", UPS will be delivering to the Amazon Lockers.

Grannybunny said...

If it's UPS delivering, this will be a substantial improvement over their normal -- "knock and drop" or "hide it where you would never think to look" deliveries. However, these parcel lockers cannot accommodate huge numbers of parcels, but just a "drop in the bucket" compared to the number USPS already delivers.

Anonymous said...

This is just like Mail Boxes Ect....they tried having a mail box system where customers would have their mail sent to a company who then delivered it to the boxes. This program was short lived and so will this one.

Anonymous said...

We don't even have a 7 11 were i live, we haven't had one for 15 plus years!!! Wonder who is going to maintain that parcel locker?!?

Anonymous said...

I agree the postal service should be tapping into this service.

Anonymous said...

So who is going to put the package in the parcel locker ?
Post office ?
Fed Ex?
UPS ?
All the above ?