Post Office customers can pick up DPD deliveries from 250 branches from next week
Shoppers will be able to pick-up DPD delivered parcels from 250 Post Office branches across the UK from next week, it's been announced.
Under the new service, shoppers placing online orders will be able to select where they want DPD parcels delivered to, and if they are located near a Post Office which is included in the roll-out, they will be able to select this option. DPD will then deliver parcels directly to participating Post Offices where shoppers will be able to collect them from the postmaster who will process collections at the counter.
You'll only be able to use the service for ordering via retailers, though, and not for sending your own parcels via DPD. Parcels scheduled to be delivered to your home can also be redirected to a Post Office while in transit, while if the parcel is meant to be delivered to a home address and the recipient is not in, DPD will attempt to deliver it to their nearest Post Office instead.
There is no extra charge to use this new service and parcels will be free to click and collect from Post Office branches, although you will have to pay any delivery costs set by the retailer at the point of purchase as normal. The service will be available in 250 of the Post Office's 11,500 stores from next week before being rolled out to approximately 1,500 branches ahead of Christmas - although the Post Office was unable to disclose at this stage which locations will be included in the initial roll-out.
If you need to send a parcel, check out our guide for Cheap Parcel Delivery guide for tips sending via Royal Mail, discount web couriers and online retailers.
The new service may suit workers heading back to the office who won't be in to sign for parcels
The Post Office told MoneySavingExpert.com that its new service with DPD, which was ranked the best parcel delivery firm in our January 2021 annual poll, could benefit households who know they won't be at home or at work when a parcel is delivered - some Post Office branches, for example, open seven days a week or open later into the evenings.
Shoppers may also prefer to click and collect for environmental reasons as the Post Office says the new service will decrease the number of vans driving down residential roads making multiple stops. Of course, if this is a key concern for you, you should first factor in the environmental impact of how you will collect parcels from your local Post Office branch and consider whether you'll have to pay for petrol or public transport costs on top.
According to the Post Office, the click and collect market grew at 14% a year pre-pandemic, with demand now expected to increase as businesses implement return to workplace policies and people become less likely to work from home.
Royal Mail has recently experienced delivery delays across the country after its workforce was hit by Covid-19 absences.