Office Depot offers online customers break for holiday

BOCA RATON, Fla. — Office Depot is making online shopping more convenient to holiday shoppers racing against the clock while trying to avoid steep shipping and handling fees.



Office Depot launched a free one-hour, in-store pickup service for purchases made on its website. Same-day store pickup is a developing trend in e-commerce that caters to the immediate gratification of shoppers’ needs. Office Depot is reaching out to customers who want the convenience of shoping online but who don't want to wait days for their purchases to arrive. Retailers such as Walmart and online retailers such as Amazon are already offering same-day delivery to select markets.

Online shoppers who want to take advantage of Office Depot's one-hour store pickup option will have the opportunity to select the option during the checkout process. Shoppers enter their zip code to find the nearest store, select a pickup location and then complete the transaction.



Approximately one hour after the order is placed, shoppers receive an email informing them that their order is ready for pickup, as well as instructions. Online shoppers will need to bring their store pickup confirmation, credit card used for payment and valid government-issued identification to the store's Copy & Print Depot "Online Orders Pick Up Here" area. Purchases will be available for in-store pickup for up to 48 hours after orders are placed online. After 48 hours, all items will be returned to inventory and the shoppers’ accounts will be credited. Orders can be canceled or refunded. There is no shipping fee for the one-hour in-store pickup service.



"The holiday season is in full swing, and this is another way to enhance the shopping experience for Office Depot customers regardless of whether they choose to do so in-store or online," said Mike Kirschner, SVP of e-commerce for Office Depot.