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Office Depot has raised its own bar for free in-store and curbside pickup delivery with the launch of a “15 Minute Pickup Promise.”
If the order isn’t ready in 15 minutes at their local Office Depot and OfficeMax location, the customer will receive a $15 coupon for their next qualifying purchase within 72 hours. The program replaces a similar “20 Minute Pickup Promise” introduced in 2021.
Office Depot described the updated promise as “far outpacing its competitors,” and said it complements its other efforts around speedy service, including same-day delivery for $4.99, and select print and copy services available for same-day pickup.
“At Office Depot, we’re committed to providing the fastest and easiest shopping experience in the nation for our customers, whether they’re wrapping up back-to-school lists or running their own small business,” said Kevin Moffitt, president of Office Depot.
Pickup Turnaround a Selling Point for Many Competitors
Among other larger sellers of office supplies:
- Staples offers free in-store and curbside pickup within an hour.
- Walgreens offers free in-store pickup within 30 minutes, as well as free one-hour delivery.
- CVS offers free in-store pickup “in as little as one hour.”
- Walmart doesn’t make any estimates on turnaround time for in-store pickup, and charges a $6.99 pick-up fee for orders under $35, with those above free.
- Target offers free in-store and curbside pickup. Target states orders “will usually be ready within 2 hours of placing your order,” although “select stores may take up to 6 hours to have your order ready.”
- Best Buy offers free in-store and curbside within an hour.
- Costco only offers free in-store pickup for pricier items, such as laptops or jewelry.
- Sam’s Club offers free curbside pickup for all in-store products, including recently adding “hot baked pizza.” The warehouse club makes no estimates on turnaround time.
Office Depot was the only chain offering a guarantee for pick-up time turnaround.
Beyond how quick orders are prepared, another time-related issue with in-store pickup is how long the customer has to wait after arriving at the location to receive their pick-up.
According the Rakuten Ready 2020 Time Study based on observations from May to August 2020 amid the chaos of the pandemic, the shortest wait time after a customer arrives for their order pickup was at QSRs, 3:10; followed by casual dining restaurants, 4.11; retailers, 4:39; and grocery, 5:07.