Walgreens Partners With FedEx to Accept Online Returns

Walgreens and FedEx are partnering to make online returns more convenient, TechCrunch reported. Customers will be able to drop off their online returns at thousands of Walgreens locations nationwide and, if they need to, they'll be able to print their return shipping label in the store too. Through FedEx's Returns Technology platform, online vendors and retailers can send customers a return code via email, and customers can then take that code to a participating Walgreens location to get their label printed.

FedEx and Walgreens have actually been partners since 2017, when a long-term alliance was announced to offer drop-off and pickup services at U.S. Walgreens stores. However, Walgreens didn't actually assist with label printing and the packages would need to be ready to ship.

Total Retail's Take: This new partnership would appear to be a win-win for everyone. Walgreens will get more foot traffic in its stores and customers who love online shopping will be able to make returns more easily. Adding the element of being able to print return labels in-store is a game changer because not all customers have access to a working printer. Walgreens isn't the only retailer to capitalize on the trend of accepting online returns from different retailers in their stores. Kohl's has a program in place to accept unpackaged Amazon.com returns in its stores, and Nordstrom's new Nordstrom Local small-format stores will accept returns from other retailers as well.