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In-store pickup is a boon for those who don't want to wander the aisles of a store hunting for items, but you do actually need to show up at the store. Or do you? Uber this week introduced Store Pickup, which will dispatch Uber drivers to pick up orders from nearby stores and deliver them to your location.
The service allows you to use Uber like a courier service to pick up and deliver prepaid items. To use the service, you’ll have to purchase the items from a store that offers in-store pickup. Once an order is placed, you upload a receipt to Uber and let it know where your items can be picked up and where you would like them dropped off.
(Credit: Uber)Uber notes that you don’t necessarily have to have your purchase delivered to you. Uber drivers could pick up flowers or a gift for a friend, for example, and deliver it to them as well.
Store Pickup is currently live in 1,700 cities and towns in the US, including Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Orange County, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Francisco, and Tampa Bay. More cities will roll out soon.
In October, Uber launched a service that will take your packages to a local shipping facility. This “Return a package” feature supports drop-offs at local US Postal Offices, FedEx or UPS. It costs $5 to take up to five packages at a time.
Beyond Store Pickup, Uber's holiday offerings include a “Festive Fleet," which allow Uber Charter customers to rent “buses complete with karaoke, holiday lights, photo props and more" in New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. Get 10% off an Uber charter reservation between Dec. 5-17 with the promo code FESTIVE10.
Uber One members can also purchase A Very Grinchmas Kit from Uber Eats on Dec. 12. The $49.99 kit includes a gingerbread version of Cindy-Lou’s Who-ville House to build cookie versions of familiar characters, a Who-inspired hot cocoa recipe, and an augmented reality experience that’ll take you on a journey to the top of Mt. Crumpit.
And if you’re in Los Angeles, Miami, or Fairfax, Virginia, keep an eye out for Uber’s Robot Reindeer. The dressed-up robots will be delivering food throughout December.