Free shipping promotions flood self-pickup points, resulting in waiting for hours

Self-pickup points across Hong Kong have become overwhelmed as the mainland online shopping platforms have recently introduced free shipping promotions, leaving citizens facing long waiting queues and messing up packages.

According to the report by Sing Tao Probe, parcels were seen piling up at the Lok Fu Market pick-up point, leading to heated disputes between frustrated customers and overworked staff. 

While the trucks continuously unloaded goods in the parking lot, thousands of packages were piled up in the back alley, creating a chaotic scene.

Numerous complaints were received from readers criticizing the poor organization at pick-up points. Many reported waiting in line for over two hours, with some discovering that their parcels were missing. 

A resident surnamed Cheung vented frustration that he was only to leave empty-handed despite visiting the self-pickup point twice that day and waiting for over an hour as staff were unable to locate his parcel. 

Cheung said he shopped online nearly 20 times this month due to the free shipping promotion, but he planned to lessen his online shopping frequency after being unable to collect his shipment multiple times.

Another citizen, Chow, expressed her frustration at waiting two hours for her package, criticizing the lack of systematic procedures for locating parcels.

Additionally, Ma, who recently moved from the mainland, voiced dissatisfaction with self-pickup points management, claiming she had never encountered similar issues in the mainland before. 

The chaos impacted neighboring shops as well, as mountains of parcels were dumped at nearby stores, disrupting their businesses. 

Caught between dissatisfied customers and frustrated shop owners, the staff at the pick-up point expressed his helplessness and explained that the surge in parcels over the past weeks had exceeded the limited storage capacity, forcing them to temporarily place the items in the back alley. 

He further revealed that the arrangement of packages in the back alley was determined by the management, stating that they could only follow instructions to keep their jobs.

In response to inquiries from Sing Tao Probe, Cainiao -- an online delivery platform -- stated they had informed the manager and it would take three to five days for a response. 

Meanwhile, multiple calls to another shipping company associated with the pick-up point, HKShip Express, have gone unanswered.

Link REIT, owner of Lok Fu Market, revealed that they have continuously sent warning letters to the pick-up point, urging them to clear parcels outside their store within seven days.