to ask which is better: collect+, post office or courier

[firemansamisnormansdad]

I'd never heard of collect+ until my boss mentioned it. I mean, in the old days you used to just go into a shop and buy somehing. Now with all the online shopping you've got to wait in for an entire day for the courier to arrive or collec something from the post office parcel shop. So which method is best? And returns are just as bad with post office queues although my local PO is quite good. So the idea of going to a local store to collect/return something seems quite a good idea but quite frankly I don't have a clue which shop does collect+. Any experiences, anyone?

Are you advertising for them ?

If you want to order from a company it's easy to look up if they do collect+ it doesn't take long to do a trial order and search for local stores who offer the service.

Oh I sounded pissy;)

Type in your postcode to see local stores
www.collectplus.co.uk/

If the company you're ordering from use the system they will say. If its better depends!
Often its free over home delivery charges and you have an ok time period to collect. You don't have to wait in, big plus if you will be out.
Downside is you won't always get that 9pm order to next day delivery.
Returns are easy. Follow the instructions and return it to a collect+ store. You may well bet given other return options too.

if its better than a post office or not depends on where the collect+ buildings are and any car parking charges. I can walk to 2.

Nope, not advertising, I promise! My boss was talking about it and I genuinely thought wTf how does that work? Thanks for the link. And thanks for replying - I had fears that this would end up as the least commented conversation!

Small non-sign for items via RoyalMail.
If signature required, collect+ would be nice. Not many retailers offer it though, so I do not shop online much. I use delivery to store options with JL, M&S, though some stores do not operate that very efficiently (such as making you traipse through the entire store, go upstairs to the returns desk and wait to hope that your package is really there - M&S) rather than doing it from the info desk near a store entrance like JL/Waitrose. May just be my local stores.

Have yet to use collect+ but I like the concept even though my nearest collection point is in the next village. For those of who can not be at home all day waiting for a courier who can not find your home (makes it sound like I live in the middle of nowhere, not a village by a motorway junction 20 ish miles from London) and takes it back to a depot in Reading or Basingstoke (yep been to both places to pick things up, each about 40 min drive away).

So anything is better then courier in my view.

It's great when you're working :) no need to hang about at home.

Amazon use collect + and something called an Amazon Locker which is useful, they tend to be in larger stores and shopping malls. They email you a code , you go to the locker area, put the code in, open door, take your stuff.

Anyone have a list of retailers who offer collect+ ?
Have looked on the collect+ website but can not locate a list.

Depends - collect+ is free and those shops often open later than a post office. Only certain businesses offer it.

If you're free in the day whichever is more convenient.

Nannynick

www.collectplus.co.uk/retailers

The only collect + point I've seen near us is outside a petrol station and seems to be electronic - assume you enter your pick up code and it opens up a locker or something. Either way, the shop wouldn't even need to be open for you to collect.