Lowe’s expands touchless pickup lockers for online shoppers during coronavirus

Lowe’s Home Improvement is boosting its contactless service during the novel coronavirus pandemic by installing pickup lockers for online shoppers in all of its U.S. stores.

The Mooresville company is installing self-service lockers for purchases made online at more than 1,700 stores in the U.S. by the end of March, the company said in a news release Tuesday.

Lowe’s launched the lockers in Charlotte this summer, and they are now in all Charlotte-area stores, company spokesman Steve Salazar said. Lockers will be installed in most metro markets by Thanksgiving.

With higher demand for contactless services sparked by COVID-19, the lockers also eliminate checkout lines and allow customers to get in and out of the store faster, according to the company.

Customers will receive an automated email when the online order is ready for pickup with a one-time barcode that can be scanned at the locker from a smartphone.

Joe McFarland, Lowe’s executive vice president of stores, called it a significant step as more than 60% of online orders are picked up in stores.

Parcel Pending by Quadient is providing the retail lockers. The program will expand to the states of Florida, Washington and Texas in the coming weeks, according to the news release.

Other changes at Lowe’s

Last month, Lowe’s announced it was opening 50 delivery terminals, seven distribution centers and four e-commerce fulfillment centers across the country for faster home delivery.

The home improvement store also opened its first Lowe’s Tool Rental at the Charlotte store on Iverson Way last month. The rental program is for commercial-grade equipment for pros and do-it-yourself home improvement customers.

Lowe’s has more than 2,200 home improvement and hardware stores and employs about 300,000 people.

This story was originally published September 22, 2020 at 10:17 AM with the headline "Lowe’s expands touchless pickup lockers for online shoppers during coronavirus."