- Data from Collect+ shows the first festive parcel return took place at 7.06 am on Christmas Day in Hatfield, Hertfordshire
- In total, 6,141,981 parcels have been processed throughout December to date
Welwyn Garden City, December 2024: Collect+, the in-store parcel service from PayPoint, has revealed a resident in Hatfield, Hertfordshire became the first person in the UK to return a potentially unwanted Christmas present.
In the early hours of Christmas Day at 7.06am, the first parcel was returned to a Collect+ store in Hatfield. The next return was made in Batley at 7.17am. In the run up to, and over the festive period, the Collect+ network managed more than 6,141,981 parcels in December so far as, people planned for presents to be sent and delivered ahead of the big day.
On Christmas Day itself, most returns took place in Birmingham where 50 people sent back parcels. This was followed by Redbridge, with 47 people returning parcels, and Manchester, with 44 people returning parcels on the day. In total, 1,738 people used the Collect+ service at their local convenience store to make a return on Christmas Day.
Nick Williams, Director of Parcel Services at PayPoint, said "The festive period is a whirlwind of activity for our retailers. The surge in online shopping leads to an influx of deliveries, especially with many late shoppers looking to secure the secure last-minute delivery slots. However, it's clear that not every gift hits the mark, so while some people are waking up in the festive spirit, others are making early morning dashes to their local convenience store to return unwanted presents that weren’t quite right.
“Our retailers are conveniently positioned - and often the only retailer open - on Christmas Day acting as the perfect solution for that last minute forgotten item for the roast or returning the duplicate or unwanted gift. We understand that returns are just as much a part of the holiday tradition as the purchases themselves and why our network of retailers are available around the clock meaning that whenever you need to process a return, there will be a store close by for you."
The data comes from Collect+, the largest carrier agnostic parcel network in the UK of over 13,500 local stores, working with leading brands like Amazon, eBay, Yodel, DPD, DHL, Royal Mail and Parcel2Go.
Swiftest Christmas Day Returns Top 10
- 07.06am, Hatfield
- 7.17am, Batley
- 7.30am, Colchester
- 7.52am, Westcliff-on-Sea
- 8.06am, Bracknell
- 8.09am, Manchester
- 8.18am, Birmingham
- 8.23am, Shrewsbury
- 8.34am, Birmingham
- 8.56am, Bexhill-on-Sea
