Just in time for the holidays, Sprint has made it easier to retrieve online and phone-order purchases in-store by more than quadrupling the number of pick-up points.
Rather than open additional stores, the carrier leveraged its newfound friendship with Walgreens. The No. 2 pharmacy chain, which hosts in-store Sprint shops in Florida, Illinois and Texas, has begun accepting Sprint deliveries at the more than 7,500 of its 9,560 locations that feature FedEx counters.
In contrast, Sprint operates 1,600 stores across 43 states.
See: Sprint, Walgreens Expand Express Pilot
Sprint chief commercial officer Dow Draper said the new arrangement addresses consumer concerns over porch piracy, which is a worry for three-quarters of Americans, according to a 2017 Schoor Package Theft Report.
“Being able to buy online and conveniently pick up at either a Sprint store or Walgreens makes shopping easy for our customers,” Dow said, citing the drugstores’ 5-mile proximity to 78 percent of the U.S. population. “As customers check out on Sprint.com, they can select delivery to their home, to their local Sprint store or Walgreens. It is that simple.”
The retail relationship blossomed last spring when the carrier opened its first Sprint Express shops within eight Walgreens locations. The sections feature carrier-supplied staff and a curated selection of pre- and postpaid plans, products and services. Based on customer feedback, the pilot program is expanding to 80 more stores this week throughout Chicago and Dallas-Fort Worth.
Sprint is the fourth-largest carrier in the country behind T-Mobile, although a pending merger of the rivals would make for a formidable No. 3 behind AT&T.
Walgreens trails first-place pharmacy chain CVS, but trounces it in tech sales according to TWICE’s Top 100 CE Retailers Report.
