Amazon Counter, the in-store pickup option offered by the online retailer that debuted this summer at more than 100 Rite Aid locations across the U.S., will soon be expanding.
With the help of new partners GNC, Health Mart, and Stage Stores, the firm said today that the service will now be available in thousands more locations.
A well-known chain of health and nutrition stores is GNC.
A network of independently owned and operated pharmacies is operated by Health Mart.
In the meanwhile, Stage Stores runs Bealls, Goody’s, Palais Royal, Peebles, and Stage department stores in addition to Gordmans off-price shops.
The Amazon Counter’s History
The expanding Amazon Hub network, which offers pickup locations for Amazon deliveries as well as thousands of pickup Lockers across the United States, includes Amazon Counter.
The method is designed for people who don’t find home delivery convenient, whether because they work in an office or because they don’t have a secure location to receive products.
Currently, Amazon offers a variety of choices for leaving items at doorsteps, including Amazon Counter and Amazon Lockers, Key by Amazon for keyless entry into homes and cars, and Amazon Day delivery dates.
With Counter, Amazon has designed their system to cause the least amount of disruption to regular operations at brick-and-mortar stores.
To get their package, customers must present a barcode to a store staff.
Amazon Partners With Retailers
It may seem strange that Amazon would agree to collaborate in this way with the very shops it has been driving out of business with its online megastore.
Yet, as it expands, Amazon may also push transactions offline.
For instance, department store major Kohl’s recently expanded its Amazon cooperation on returns to all 1,150 of its locations in the United States after its initial trials resulted in appreciable income increases.
With plans to install Amazon Lockers in about 200 of its struggling Stein Mart stores, the enemy has recently been added, hoping for a similar outcome.
Also, the present group of Amazon Counter partners might gain.
According to a statement from Patrick Supanc, global director of Amazon Hub, this most recent network of pickup locations offers customers a quick, customizable, and pleasant pickup experience.
The strong dedication and increased foot traffic that Counter is bringing to their stores also thrill the partners.
Despite Amazon not making this clear, it is important to note that some of its Counter agreements involve physical pharmacies.
Some believe Amazon will continue to go deeper into the pharmaceutical industry in the future as a result of its acquisition of online pharmacy PillPack and the establishment of its healthcare JV.
