Have you ever come across the phrase “hold at location” in relation to FedEx and wondered what this means and where your parcel is currently at? This is a common shipping method, but many people are unaware of it or don’t know what it means. The FedEx Hold At Location option is a method whereby the customer can select one of FedEx’s participating locations as a delivery destination for their parcel, instead of putting their own address in when ordering something online. They can then pick the parcel up from that place instead of having it delivered to their home.
What Is FedEx Hold At Location?
This shipping option allows people who are rarely at home or not at home during the common delivery times to still enjoy the convenience of online ordering, without having to worry about what will happen to their parcel or making complicated arrangements with strangers.
FedEx Hold At Location brings additional convenience to ordering online for people who don’t work from home. Instead of needing to wait in for parcels that aren’t delivered when they should be, or trailing around different holding offices because you have missed a parcel, or banging on your neighbor’s doors and scouring the bins for a “left in a safe place” option, you will know that your parcel is waiting in a FedEx office, safe and sound. There are many locations that you can choose from, so it’s fairly easy to find one that is convenient for you, and there are also other businesses that participate, making the most of this option to maximize the ease with which people can get their mail. With so much of the world moving online, particularly given the impact of COVID-19, it’s obvious that there is a need for such a service, and thousands of people benefit from using it. So, let’s explore in more detail how this works and how you can utilize it!
Where Can I Collect My At Hold Location Parcel From?
FedEx offers multiple different offices that you can collect your parcel from, and you can choose whichever is most convenient for you. If a location happens to be near your place of work or on your route home, this is an ideal way to get your mail quickly and conveniently, without any worries about it being left in an insecure place. Many of the offices are FedEx Office or FedEx Ship Center stores, so make sure you check the list thoroughly and see what looks like it would work for you.
The service also offers quite a few partnering options to help you find something convenient for you. You may find that you can collect your parcel from:
- FedEx Office inside certain Walmarts
- Kroger, Alberston’s, and some other grocery stores (so you can pick up your parcel at the same time as your groceries!)
- Independent FedEx Authorized ShipCenters
- Certain Walgreens
In total, there are over 11,000 places you can collect from, so do make sure you are selecting one that is right for you. We will talk about this next.
How Do I Choose My Location?
You need to pick carefully to make sure that your parcel does not get sent to the wrong place, as you don’t have that long to collect it. Accidentally sending it to the wrong area will cause a real headache and you may not be able to get it rerouted to you.
The 3dcart FedEx HAL feature makes it very easy to find the right collection place, because you begin by entering your ZIP code – so there’s no risk of it going to the wrong area. From here, you can add a maximum search radius, so that you know you won’t have to drive a long way to get your parcel. You should then see a full list of available locations, with the address and business hours for each one. This makes it easy to select a location that will still be open around your work hours, which is ideal. You should also see a shortcut that will let you get directions, making it very easy to choose the ultimate easy location.
Does It Take Longer?
No, it should not take any longer to go to the FedEx offices or partnering locations than it would to a home address. The shipping process ought to be exactly the same as if you were shipping to a standard residential address, although you may have to wait for the parcel to be marked as “arrived” at the location. Of course, once a parcel reaches your home, you have it and you don’t have to wait for someone to scan it as present. This shouldn’t really make any difference overall, however.
When Can I Collect My Parcel?
You can collect your parcel as soon as you receive a notification that it has arrived at the office. You should be able to find this on the tracking on the FedEx website by entering your tracking number and checking where your parcel is. Don’t try to collect your parcel before it has been marked as arrived; it is not going to be there! The workers are unlikely to be able to give you any more information than you can find on your tracking information page.
How Long Do I Have To Collect My Parcel Once It Has Been Delivered?
If you can’t get to the location your parcel has been delivered to on the day it arrives, don’t worry! It won’t be returned to the sender straight away. Instead, you will have a full seven days to collect it from the day it arrives at the shipping location.
What Do I Need To Do?
When you get a notification that your parcel has been delivered to the location, you can head over there at your convenience during the next few days. However, you must take some identification and your tracking number in order to do this. This ensures that the tracking method remains secure and other people cannot steal your parcels. However, somebody who lives at the same address as you and has the tracking number will be able to collect the parcel on your behalf.
This means that you can send somebody else to get your parcel provided that they live with you and you give them the tracking number. Be aware of this if you do not want another member of your household to collect the parcel, and keep the tracking information private in such instances. A member of your household who is collecting the parcel on your behalf will need to bring an alternative form of ID to prove that they share your address. They can use their own photo ID, provided it has an address on it, or a utility bill or credit card statement as proof of their residence. You cannot ask someone else to collect a parcel on your behalf; the recipient must live at your address, have the tracking number, and have proof of identity and residence in order to get the parcel. This helps to prevent theft.
What Are The Advantages Of This System?
So, why do so many people use this system and what are its advantages? After all, most people don’t want to have to trail out to pick up a parcel when they can comfortably have it delivered to their own home instead. Why should people select FedEx’s Hold At Location service? There are a number of reasons, and most include issues with getting it delivered to your home address. Let’s look at what the reasons for using this service are.
You Don’t Want To Give Out Your Home Address
You may not want to share your home address when you purchase from certain companies. Perhaps you are afraid that they will send you junk mail or lots of advertising material. You might just not feel comfortable giving personal information to strangers when you don’t have to. In any of these cases, using an At Hold Location is a good way to keep your address private.
You Don’t Want The Parcel Delivering To Your Home
One of the hardest parts about shopping online for Christmases and birthdays is that parcels get seen by their intended recipient. Sometimes this isn’t an issue, because it’s wrapped and boxed, but often, this can spoil the surprise early. If you aren’t at home to whisk the parcel out of sight, your intended recipient might even see the contents printed on the box, depending on who has mailed it, which is disastrous for any birthday. It is much better to have it delivered to a secure location where you can collect it and hide it at a time that works for you.
Your Address Is Hard To Deliver To
It’s possible that you live somewhere that is difficult for delivery drivers, and you’ve had a lot of failed deliveries in the past. If you are up a long drive, a steep track, or you are difficult to find for any reason, you may feel that it’s just easier for everyone if you have your parcel delivered to a central location. People in all sorts of places find that delivery drivers have trouble getting their mail to them. If, for example, you live in an apartment block that does not have a clear place for parcels to be placed, your driver might struggle. If you live somewhere rural and the houses are hard to identify from the road or tricky to tell apart from other nearby houses, you may find parcels aren’t delivered. Drivers generally prefer to put “unable to deliver,” rather than risk sending the parcel to a wrong address, so this is quite common.
You Work Difficult Hours
If you aren’t at home often, it’s generally more convenient to pick up your own mail on the way to or from work if it won’t go in the mailbox. You can just drop in en route and collect your parcel with ease, without all the hassle of waiting in for the delivery driver, only to find he does not turn up.
There Is No Safe Space
Of course, some people can get around the work problem by asking for their parcel to be left in a safe space, but many can’t. If you aren’t able to designate a safe spot because there is nowhere suitable, you might want to send your parcel to a FedEx location instead. This avoids all sorts of potential issues, like people stealing the parcel from your porch or parcels being handed to neighbors that you don’t get on with. Once the parcel has been left, it is often your responsibility if it is stolen, so you’re the one who loses out if it has been left in an insecure spot and gets lost.
You Don’t Want To Be Disturbed
Some people just don’t want others coming up and ringing their doorbells. If you work a night shift and need to sleep in the day, or you have young children, nervous dogs, PTSD, etc., you might not want mail delivering because this invades your privacy and peace at home. It might be much more convenient for you to just collect the parcel when it suits you from a location in your local town. After all, you are likely to be traveling out to get groceries and run errands at some stage in the week, and you can just add collecting the parcel to your list.
Summary
The FedEx Hold At Location service is a great option for many people who would otherwise struggle to get their parcels delivered to them at a convenient time. Online shopping is all about convenience, but delivery remains one of the trickiest aspects for delivery companies to get right.
If the Hold At Location option isn’t for you, consider whether a virtual mailbox could be a viable alternative. This offers the same advantages of a secure location that delivery drivers can access at any time, and you can pick up your mail from it whenever it suits you to do so.
