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Online shoppers are being urged to complete their Christmas orders early this year as major retailers bring forward their deadlines for delivery.
Currys, Superdry and White Co. are among companies experiencing delivery delays or announcing earlier cutoff dates to get orders in time for Christmas.
Many retailers are concerned about the potential for disruption and delays over the festive period due to Royal Mail strikes and seasonal worker shortages.
David Jinks, head of consumer research at ParcelHero, says: “The clock is definitely ticking down on the final online order dates just in time for Christmas. It is not being helped by post-Brexit strikes and shortages of seasonal workers, such as warehouse operatives and delivery drivers.
Royal Mail workers are set to take industrial action on Sunday as well as on 14, 15, 23 and 24 December. The Postal Service has asked customers to post parcels and letters earlier than usual to ensure delivery before Christmas.
In many cases shoppers will have to place orders earlier than usual, especially if they want to use standard delivery options.
Superdry apologized for the delay and warned that normal deliveries were taking up to 14 days, compared to the usual two to five. Parcels delivered by Evri (formerly Hermes) take up to 10 days.
At the time of writing, Currys last order date for standard delivery of “small items” was December 18, although it is unclear if that has changed this year. Its website warns that it is “currently experiencing delivery delays in some areas”.
Last Sunday it emerged that the electrical goods retailer had dropped Royal Mail as its delivery provider “for now” to avoid further disruption from the strike.
The White Company, a clothing and homewares retailer, has confirmed that it has moved its standard delivery timeframes. According to its website, Christmas orders can be placed until midnight on December 19. The closing date for orders sent with next day delivery, costing £7.95, is midday on December 22.
Courier companies are also facing delays due to increased demand and shortage of workers.
Avery apologized for the delay, saying: “Like everyone in the sector, we are experiencing higher than normal volumes due to the Royal Mail strike, as well as last-mile staff shortages in some local areas.”
Jinks says other retailers are likely to change their Christmas order deadlines: “Our strong advice is: don’t leave your online orders until the last minute. The delay is increasing. If you’re trying to take advantage of last-minute bargains, it’s likely to get better in the new year as retailers scramble to get rid of old stock. If you’re just putting off your online shopping, don’t panic.”
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