PayPoint data shows first parcel return was at 7:02am on Christmas Day
Welwyn Garden City, 28 December 2019: A resident in Salisbury, Wiltshire, became the first person in the country to return a potentially unwanted Christmas present, data from PayPoint reveals today.
It hadn’t even got light when the first parcel was returned to a Collect+ store at 7:02am on Christmas Day. It was another 38 minutes before the next parcel was returned in Glasgow, at 7:40am.
In total, 419 parcels were returned on Christmas Day through the Collect+ service at local convenience stores. Some customers returned more than one potentially unwanted present: in Enfield, a single customer returned seven parcels at 12:09pm, while in Wokingham, Berkshire, a customer returned six parcels at 12:44pm. A further five were returned by a customer in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, at 6:50pm.
However, there were hundreds of potentially happier customers who were still able to collect parcels on Christmas Day. In total, 1,043 parcels were collected on December 25th because their local convenience stores were open.
Lewis Alcraft, Chief Commercial Officer at PayPoint said: “Whilst most of us tucked into our turkey dinners on Christmas Day, thousands of staff at convenience stores were hard at work.
“Collect+ has transformed services in communities to ensure that people can receive gifts and parcels at nearby collection points, while also offering a way for those who weren’t overjoyed at what Santa brought them to return their presents.”
Collect+ is available in over 7,000 local convenience stores across the country. It allows customers to collect parcels at a time that best suits them. In total, 14,841 PayPoint stores were open on Christmas Day, providing services to local communities including bill payments, parcels and cash withdrawals on a day when all banks and Post Offices were closed.
Swiftest Christmas Day Returns Top 10
7:02am Salisbury, Wiltshire
7:40am Glasgow
7:43am Norwich, Norfolk
7:54am London
8:24am Bracknell, Berkshire
8:46am Slough, Berkshire
8:51am Swindon, Wiltshire
9:27am London
9:28am Bury, Lancashire
9:32am Barnsley, South Yorkshire
-ENDS-
Enquiries:
PayPoint Press Office
Sam Holl, MHP Communications
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+44(0) 7875 571513
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