the essential
Christmas is fast approaching, and it’s high time to leave the presents under the tree. In Castelnaudary (Aude), while some prefer to make their purchases in stores, others favor purchasing on the internet. Relay points and stores specializing in online commerce are facing a strong wave of parcels.
Christmas is fast approaching, and it’s high time to finish filling Santa’s sack. While some flock to the department stores and small boutiques of Castelnaudary to find that rare gem that will captivate the hearts of their loved ones, others favor purchasing on the internet, like Charlotte. “I buy on the Internet as a priority, because it’s rush during the Christmas period and I’m always late,” she says. Same story for Tina: “Ordering is easier. We no longer go to the store, it avoids going through lots of stores”.
Léna, for her part, favors in-store purchases to make the most of “the Christmas atmosphere. Ordering online is the last minute solution”. Even though she likes going to stores, Marie finally placed an order on a website to find a dollhouse for her daughter. A choice driven by financial reasons. “It’s always a little cheaper on the internet. I was looking for a large dollhouse, I found one on the internet for which I paid a little less than 100 euros. I hadn’t necessarily found one in a store , and it wasn’t the same price,” she explains.
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“Incessant comings and goings” to drop off and pick up packages
Unlike Léna who prefers home parcel deliveries, Charlotte prefers deliveries to relay points. “There is no doorbell in front of my house, and the delivery people have to leave my orders outside. I know that there is nothing to worry about in a relay point,” emphasizes the young woman.
Like Charlotte, many Chaurians go through a relay point during the Christmas period to send or receive their orders. Merchants who offer this service notice a sharp increase in the number of packages left or collected from the beginning of December. “Since the beginning of December, we have had around a hundred parcels per day,” says Philippe Guiraud, manager of Comptoir du Cassieu, who emphasizes that his establishment supports several parcel relay brands – UPS, Relais Colis and Colis Privé. In front of the store, a Mondial Relay locker has also been installed. “It is stormed as soon as the deliveries are made, from 10 a.m. It’s a constant coming and going,” he assures. Faced with this observation, the manager took the initiative of entrusting one of his employees with the responsibility of managing this flow of packages, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. each day. “There is volume, but it’s lucrative,” he rejoices, pointing out that out of ten people who come to send or place an order, four or five of them buy something from him – cigarettes, scratch games, or even gift boxes.
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In the town center of Castelnaudary, the La Pampa boutique, which offers a Mondial Relay service, has noted a drop in the number of packages sent compared to previous years. “Normally, during this period, we have a large quantity of packages, it’s overflowing everywhere. It’s strange. I don’t know if there are fewer purchases on the internet or if people have made the gifts in advance “, explains William, employee, before adding: “We have a wave of packages when the neighboring relay points close temporarily, for a week or two, since we receive their packages Today, we receive 40 of them. per day, compared to 110 last year at the same time.
2,000 orders sent per day
Beyond the relay points, some merchants are overwhelmed by the large number of packages to send. In the Chaurian BCD Jeux store, specializing in board games and other games, up to 2,000 packages have been sent daily since the beginning of December, in France or internationally. “It’s a strong period that begins to be felt from the beginning of November,” says Manu, employee. “On the internet, orders stop overnight, two days before Christmas. We go from 2,000 packages per day to 150 or even 200,” he emphasizes.
