Amazon Would Like to Pay You $10 to Pick Up Your Order

by Kate Cartia

2 years ago

We’re all for an easy $10

Just like moms everywhere, our love for Amazon is no secret. Convenience is a major reason—having all our needs (okay and several of our wants) arriving at our doorstep is a dream. But we’re definitely not mad at Amazon’s newest initiative: they’re offering $10 to U.S. customers to pick up their orders rather than have them shipped directly to your home.

Why would the arguably most well-known e-commerce site—one that many of us rely on them specifically for its fast and free Prime shipping—suddenly want to incentivize customers to take their pick-up option?

Apparently, it’s not so sudden.”We offer customers a variety of ways to get their packages, inclusive of delivery and pickup options. The $10 Amazon Pickup promotion isn’t new,” Amazon said in a statement. They didn’t include when or how long the $10 (or similar) promotion has been offered.

It would make sense if this is a move to cut delivery costs, but Amazon denies that’s the case. According to Reuters, Amazon has said that the promotion is not a cost-cutting measure and that it applies to customers who have never used Amazon Pickup or have not used that service in the last 12 months. So it’s totally possible it’s more a matter of just another way to bring awareness to the pick-up option.

Over the last few days, Amazon has emailed a portion of their customer base (we don’t know the actual number) offering $10 to pick up their order of $25+ at pick-up points like Whole Foods, Kohls, and Amazon Fresh. And yes, those are the same places you can return Amazon orders. It’s worth mentioning that (separately from the $10 offer) Amazon has started adding a $1 fee if customers return a purchase via a UPS store if there’s an Amazon pickup/return location closer to their delivery address.

Amazon’s delivery service isn’t the only one out there that’s encouraging customers to use “pick-up points,” especially in rural areas where the cost of to-the-door delivery is higher.

No matter what Amazon’s reasons are, $10 is $10, and using a pick-up location is absolutely more environmentally friendly if delivery drivers can drop a bunch of packages in one place. So the next time you order from Amazon, definitely consider snagging it from Kohls or Whole Foods.