{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","contentId":"00000184-34c3-d71e-abaf-b4ef66740001","url":"https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/operations/amazons-plan-to-serve-customers-this-holiday-season-includes-alternate-delivery-methods-and-easy-returns","headline":"Amazon's plan to serve customers this holiday season includes alternate delivery methods and easy returns","description":"To meet all of our customers’ needs this holiday season, Amazon is hiring more seasonal workers, innovating how we deliver, and making returns easy.","datePublished":"2022-11-02T13:00:51.034Z","dateModified":"2022-11-02T13:00:51.034Z","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"John Felton, Senior Vice President of Amazon Worldwide Operations"}],"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/5a8f5b0/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1689x1126+156+0/resize/300x200!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2Fd3%2Fb4%2F91384c314326ababca65849c893c%2Fholidaypreparedness-hero-2000x1126.jpg","width":"300","height":"200"},"articleBody":"![An Amazon delivery driver dressed in uniform carries an Amazon package with a delivery vehicle in the background.](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/5a8f5b0/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1689x1126+156+0/resize/300x200!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2Fd3%2Fb4%2F91384c314326ababca65849c893c%2Fholidaypreparedness-hero-2000x1126.jpg)\n\n# Amazon's plan to serve customers this holiday season includes alternate delivery methods and easy returns\n\n*To meet all of our customers’ needs this holiday season, Amazon is hiring more seasonal workers, innovating how we deliver, and making returns easy.*\n\nWhether it’s the hottest toy of the season, a pair of socks, or last-minute decorations for a party, customers know that their Amazon order will be at their doorstep when they need it—and this holiday season is no different.\n\nThrough our dedicated employees and partners, innovative technology, and interconnected operations and transportation logistics networks, we’re working to meet our customers’ needs for the holidays ahead.\n\n![A woman working in an Amazon fulfillment center scans boxes. ](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/226bee9/2147483647/strip/true/crop/800x533+0+0/resize/767x511!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2F05%2Fb2%2F84e5df42427cb54d5d624b5751e6%2Fhiring150000-stat-inline.gif)\n\nThanks to our more than 400 fulfillment centers (FCs), 150-plus sortation centers, and over 1,000 delivery stations worldwide—and the people behind them—we’re prepared to deliver this holiday season, so customers can get what they want, when and how they want it. Here’s how we’re doing it:\n\n### Hiring more people\n\nThis year, we’re once again [hiring 150,000](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/amazon-is-hiring-150-000-employees-for-the-holidays-in-the-u-s) employees in full-time, seasonal, and part-time roles across our U.S. operations network. Employees can earn, on average, more than $19 per hour based on position and geography.\n\n![An operations employees wears a yello safety vest as he lifts up his hat and smiles.](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/bff7af3/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1689x1126+0+0/resize/300x200!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2F5b%2Fa8%2Fdfb11266494fa6ff76e808053de2%2Famazonwageannouncement-hero-2000x1126.jpg)\n\n- [Amazon invests nearly $1 billion in increased wages for operations employees](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/amazon-invests-nearly-1-billion-in-increased-wages-for-operations-employees)\n\n### Leveraging our transportation network\n\nWe’ll use our fleet of more than 110 aircraft and more than 50,000 trailers globally to ship packages, followed by the support of more than 275,000 drivers across the [Delivery Service Partner (DSP) program](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/tag/dsp) and hundreds of thousands of Flex drivers worldwide, who will deliver directly to customers’ doorsteps throughout the season.\n\n### Offering fast delivery speeds\n\nPrime members in the U.S. can shop a selection of over 20 million items eligible for free One-Day Delivery with no minimum purchase, and hundreds of thousands of items available for free Same-Day Delivery, within hours, in more than 90 metro areas.\n\n### Delivering direct from retail\n\nThis year, we also expanded the Same-Day Delivery offering to include \n\ndirect from retail stores\n\n like PacSun, GNC, and Sur La Table in more than 10 metro areas, with plans to expand to more retailers and cities in the months ahead.\n\n### Giving customers delivery day options\n\nWith [Amazon Day](https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=17928921011), Prime members can select a designated day for a weekly delivery of their packages. This is a free, convenient way to select when and how packages arrive at doorsteps—especially for people who want to hide packages from a potential gift recipient.\n\n### Providing alternate delivery methods\n\nWe also know some would rather pick up a package than have it delivered to their home—especially with holiday travels ahead. We have thousands of convenient and secure Amazon package pickup locations near or in retail stores, convenience stores, apartment buildings, and grocery stores, in more than 900 cities and towns across the country. Tens of millions of products can be easily and conveniently delivered to an Amazon pickup point at 7-Eleven, Staples, Rite Aid, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, Chevron, Circle K, Ross, and more. To find a location, visit [amazon.com/hub](http://amazon.com/Hub).\n\n### Making returns easy\n\nOur goal is to make buying online—and returning—as easy as possible. [We offer free, convenient returns](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/operations/free-returns-with-no-box-tape-or-label-needed) on most items delivered in the U.S., and customers should look for the FREE Returns badge under the price to confirm it is a qualifying item. Customers can also make returns with no packaging or a label at select locations, including Whole Foods, Kohl’s, Amazon Stores (Amazon Go, Amazon Fresh, Amazon Style), Amazon Counter and Locker+,and UPS Stores by showing the QR code provided.\n\n![An Amazon delivery driver delivers a package to a home while the delivery vehicle is parked outside.](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/ce12b8d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1600x900+0+0/resize/767x431!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2F86%2F2e%2F4c12793e4e898ce95fe807ee9292%2Fholidaypreparedness-inline-1600x900.jpg)\n\nThe employees and partners who make up our operations network are at the heart of our ability to deliver for customers. We’ve recently expanded and launched new programs to support them as they grow and develop their careers.\n\nEarlier this year, we improved benefits to our [Career Choice program](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/tag/career-choice) and now offer pre-paid tuition for college, new industry certifications, courses to improve English-language proficiency, and high school completion programs. And since 2021, we’ve seen [a 45% increase](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/over-25-000-employees-joined-amazons-career-choice-in-the-last-6-months) in employee participation in the program. To better support delivery partners and drivers, we also recently announced [new programs](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/transportation/amazon-launches-new-programs-to-help-delivery-drivers-pay-for-college-and-save-for-the-future) to help them pay for college with funding up to $5,250 per eligible driver per year and a 401(k) plan.\n\n![An image of a woman wearing an orange shirt and glasses. She is writing on a notepad with a laptop in front of her. ](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/c1ca677/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1689x1126+156+0/resize/300x200!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2Ffc%2Fb1%2F54638e5e467292b7b4c0f2e5f8fc%2Fupskilling-promo-2000x11261.jpg)\n\n- [Amazon pays college tuition for front-line employees ](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/amazon-to-pay-college-tuition-for-front-line-employees)\n\nLastly, for people who are interested in seeing how we make magic happen for customers, we recently welcomed the return of in-person [Amazon Tours](https://amazontours.com/) at FCs around the world. Visitors can go behind the scenes and see how the items they purchase go from images on their computer or phone to their doorsteps. Visitors also will get an up-close look at the innovative technology and people at the FCs that deliver smiles to customers. We also [offer virtual tours](https://amazontours.com/na/virtual), too.\n\n“I was hired during the pandemic and have been leading our virtual tours program at DEN3, so it’s thrilling that I can now share the tour experience with Colorado locals,” said Ryan Peterson, Amazon Tours lead in Denver. “Customers and locals are always curious about our sites, and they can now see for themselves how the employees are the heart and soul of our FCs.”\n\nWe’re proud to provide our employees with great pay, great benefits, and a safe work environment. We’re looking forward to a great 2022 holiday season and we’re excited and ready to deliver for our customers.","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"About Amazon","url":"https://www.aboutamazon.com","sameAs":["https://x.com/amazonnews","https://www.linkedin.com/company/amazon","https://www.instagram.com/amazonnews"],"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://assets.aboutamazon.com/bd/8f/88e7b0314cc2bd05b9de3155a0fe/amazon-news.svg"},"parentOrganization":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Amazon","url":"https://www.amazon.com","sameAs":["https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3884","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_(company)","https://x.com/Amazon"]}}}