Amazon today announced the expansion of Counter, a network of staffed pickup points that gives customers the option to pick up their Amazon packages in-store at a partner location. With this expansion, customers now have access to thousands more Amazon Hub Counter locations with Amazon’s new store partners GNC, Health Mart and Stage Stores. Delivery to a Counter location is available for the tens of millions of items sold on Amazon.com, and works with Same-Day, One-Day, Two-Day and Standard Shipping. The service is available to all Amazon customers at no extra cost.
“The response we’ve heard from our customers and partners after the launch of Counter earlier this year has been tremendous,” explains Patrick Supanc, Worldwide Director of Amazon Hub. “This new network of pickup points gives customers a pickup experience that is fast, flexible and convenient, and partners are thrilled with the strong engagement and additional foot traffic Counter is driving for their stores.”
Counter is part of the Amazon Hub network of secure, convenient pickup locations, which also includes thousands of Lockers nationwide. Amazon designed and built the technology for Counter from the ground-up, resulting in a quick and simple pickup experience for customers. For partners, Counter easily turns a store of any size into a pickup location available to millions of Amazon customers. Counter’s intuitive, user-friendly design also enables store staff to efficiently serve customers picking up packages without disrupting their daily activities.
As Amazon’s logistics network continues to grow, the company is enabling delivery at even faster speeds, and in the most convenient locations. The company has been trialing Amazon Hub Counter with GNC, Health Mart and Stage Stages for the last few months. Global health and wellness brand GNC is focused on quality performance and nutritional supplements. Health Mart is a network of independently owned and operated pharmacies in the U.S. In small cities and towns across the country, Stage Stores offers great prices on name brands through its Gordmans off-price stores, Bealls, Goody’s, Palais Royal, Peebles and Stage department stores.
“For six years, my pharmacy team has served our community and made sure our patients get the care they need,” said Laura Temple, RPh, pharmacist and owner of Laura’s Health Mart Pharmacy in Azle, Texas. “Amazon Hub Counter has given my current patients a new, convenient way to pick up their Amazon packages, and it’s also brought in new neighbors who have then been introduced to the meaningful care at my pharmacy. I’m delighted to offer Counter in my local store.”
Since its U.S. launch in June 2019, Amazon Hub Counter has brought in tens of thousands of Amazon customers to partner locations. Customers have ordered everything from kitchen utensils to power tools and even bags of dog food for delivery to a Counter location, with Thursday being the most popular day to pick-up packages. An array of retailers, convenience stores, and small businesses have expressed interest in becoming a Counter partner and Amazon looks forward to continuing to expand this network. For businesses both large and small that would like to find out more about Counter, visit amazon.com/hostacounter.
Shipping to a Counter location is easy and secure. After shopping on Amazon.com, customers proceed to checkout and select one of the Counter pickup points available in their zip code as their delivery location. As soon as their package arrives at the store, customers receive an e-mail notification with a unique barcode as well as a reminder of the address and the business hours of their selected store. At the store, customers provide the barcode to store staff, who scan it, retrieve the package, and hand it to the customer. Customers have 14 days to collect their package.
Counter is part of the Amazon Hub family, which includes Locker, Locker+ and Apartment Locker, designed to bring the ultimate convenience to customers via pickup and return points. Locker is available in more than 900 cities and towns across the U.S., offering an alternative, secure, and convenient delivery option at no additional cost. Locker+ locations are secure and convenient locations in neighborhoods, cities, and university campuses across the U.S., staffed by helpful associates. For apartment buildings, Apartment Locker gives residents an opportunity to receive all their packages —from Amazon and elsewhere —safely, securely, and at a time of their choosing.
