During Christmas, the other side of the coin for businesses labeled parcel relay points

During the holiday period, certain businesses known as relay points in the city center of Caen (Calvados) receive and ship up to 150 packages per day. However, this additional salary of several hundred euros is not always perceived as being commensurate with the work provided.

In her dry cleaners in downtown Caen, Sylvie makes her way through dozens of packages to reach her counter. They are found at the bottom of clothes, under the ironing board, slipped under freshly cleaned duvets… difficult to store them in 30m². “I only keep them for five days during the holidays so customers forget to collect them. This year it's worse than ever. There are always more”.

One week before Christmas, Wednesday December 18, Sylvie Lefèvre will receive and ship 140 packages in a single day. So in the morning, she hires earlier than usual, around 7 a.m., to “do your dry cleaning” and devotes his lunch break to washing machines. “I get ahead of myself to be fully available for packages between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Customers are most numerous in the evening”explains the sixty-year-old shopkeeper.

Between labeling and storage, I spend 4 hours of my day on packages. Commissions are falling but not our workload.

Sylvie Lefèvre

Manager of a dry cleaners in Caen

Despite the efforts made, Sylvie's remuneration has never been so low in eight years of service for a famous rnetwork of relay points. “I noticed that some packages were only charged 3 cents… our commission dropped again in Octoberregrets the shopkeeper, informed by email. In general, it takes between 10 and 20 cents, instead of 30 cents previously.” With the holiday rush, she hopes to win “at least 300 euros” thanks to his parallel activity.

So why continue? “For customers, someone has to be dedicated…They need this service, even if it is to the detriment of businesses”she replies. Its local clientele appreciates the side “practical” wide opening hours of the store. “I did almost all of my Christmas shopping online, smiles Marine, a 37-year-old customer, who collects a gift for her daughter. There, it's true that the dry cleaners are overflowing. I think there are more packages than clothes at the moment.”.

In the city center of Caen, around thirty traders have converted their premises into a parcel collection and drop-off point. Delivery companies − Chronopost, Relais Colis, Mondial Relay or even Vinted Go for the best known −, set their own price scale depending on the size of the package. These commissions undergo regular changes but do not align with the working hours of traders. It's up to them to organize themselves as best as possible to make this secondary activity profitable.

The manager of a newsagent, who wishes to preserve his anonymity, claims to be able to pay his monthly rent thanks to the parcels. “I only do this out of economic interest because otherwise there are only negative aspects,” testifies this fifty-year-old trader. According to him, the real problem comes from the parcel load “too important” − and probably known to delivery companies −, and the attitude of customers. “During the holidays, they are more nervous and do not respect the rules, such as showing us their identity card”he adds.

For several months, some stores have equipped themselves with boxes to relieve part of this burden. These kinds of lockers – you may know Vinted Go or Amazon and Mondial Relay lockers –, allow customers to take care of shipping their package themselves by placing it in a box, without necessarily coming into contact with sellers.

Leaning over a large canvas bag, Hervé Marguin carefully puts away a box that a customer has just dropped off. Since December 1, more than 1,800 packages have passed through its video game store – one of the largest parcel collection and drop-off points in downtown Caen – but its usual output is closer to 3,000 transactions. monthly. “This year, we have a more linear flow than in past winters. We cannot say that we have been overwhelmed”notes the manager.

“When a customer brings us a package, it’s 10 cents and when they receive it, it’s 30 cents. You can imagine that that’s not what keeps a store alive.

Hervé Marguin

Manager of a video game store

Aware that commissions only provide “little addition” salary, the trader rather relies on the “visibility” offered by this activity. “Our goal is for people to discover our store so we deliberately have a large flow throughout the year”he explains. A large part of its 50 m² reserve is used to store packages to be shipped “to be sure not to confuse them with those to be received” and thus avoid “negative reviews” of customers on Google.

In her dry cleaners, Sylvie Lefèvre has never refused a package, even when her room is overflowing. However, she is already dreaming of the lull, expected for December 24: “There will be nothing more, it will make me feel very funny. I will breathe again”, exclaims the shopkeeper with a laugh tinged with relief.