DALLAS & SEATTLE -- 7-Eleven Inc. and Amazon are reportedly testing a delivery-locker system for consumers who purchase merchandise online but need a secure delivery location beyond their home or office. A prototype of the concept is nestled in the back of a 7-Eleven convenience store in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, according to The Daily.
A source with knowledge of the project explained the concept to the iPad news source: "These nondescript boxes will be in 7-Eleven stores across the country and act as a sort of P.O. box for Amazon purchases. Once a customer makes a buy on Amazon's website he can select a 7-Eleven close to work, or on the way home, and have the package dropped off there," the source said.
The source added, "When the package is actually delivered, the customer receives an email notification along with a bar code to his smartphone and heads to the 7-Eleven. There he'll stand in front of the locker system, which looks like the offspring between an ATM machine and a safety deposit box. The machine will scan the bar code on his handset to receive a PIN number. He'll punch that PIN number and retrieve the package."
Amazon is currently in early testing stages of the system, the source told The Daily. If it is successful, the lockers could be in place at 7-Elevens across the United States by next summer, according to the report.
Neither company has officially announced the concept. 7-Eleven would not confirm the initiative.
Online retailer Amazon is based in Seattle.
7-Eleven, based in Dallas, operates, franchises or licenses more than 8,800 7-Eleven stores in North America. Globally, there are at least 42,700 7-Eleven stores in 16 countries. During 2010, 7-Eleven stores worldwide generated total sales close to $63 billion.
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