Staples, RadioShack No Longer Want To Be The Places Where You Pick Up Your Amazon Orders

For about a year, some Staples and RadioShack stores allowed Amazon to set up lockers inside, giving customers of the online retailer a secure location to which their orders could be delivered. But the two chains are saying the deal didn’t really work out and are ending the arrangement.

Staples’ president for North American stores and Staples.com tells Bloomberg that it pulled the plug on the test because it “didn’t meet the criteria we set up together” without further explaining what those criteria were.

Meanwhile, a rep for RadioShack says the program because it didn’t fit with its new strategy of reducing in-store clutter, ditching lots of the little parts and accessories that were once the company’s bread and butter in order to make room for bigger brand names like Apple.

We never quite understood why two large retailers, both of whom have certainly taken it on the chin from online competition, would want to get into bed with the country’s largest online-only store. Sure, it meant some additional revenue, and maybe the stores had hoped customers would buy things while they were picking up their orders, but we’re guessing that many of these Amazon customers would rather save a little money and just order the same product online.

It makes more sense for chains of supermarkets, gas stations, and convenience stores to be involved in any sort of Amazon locker arrangement, as these businesses have minimal overlap. Additionally, these are the types of retailers that most people go to on a regular basis, even those who do a majority of their purchasing online.

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