Parcel collection points overcrowded

While some people take at least two days to collect their parcel, others want it in their hands sooner: 45.8% of recipients collect their parcel within 24 hours. 14.9% of consumers leave a parcel for more than 96 hours, and 2.4% leave it for more than a week.

The amount of time parcels are left at collection points increases further during busy periods and in bad weather. Around Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the average dwell time rises by 9.1% to 49.4 hours. During the Christmas period, the increase is at a similar level (9%). In January, when heavy snowfall hit the country, the dwell time rose to an average of 2.2 days. Over the same period, the share of parcels left for more than 72 hours increased from 14.9% to 20.1%.

Not only does dwell time rise during peak periods, but parcel volumes increase too. The absolute peak was on Cyber Monday, when parcel volumes in shops were almost three times as high (169.3% higher than normal) compared to an average day.

Because consumers have preferred moments to collect parcels, the build-up is unevenly distributed across the week. Wednesdays are the busiest day for parcel collection points, with an average of 31% more parcels in storage than on a typical day. This is linked to the fact that most parcels are delivered on Tuesdays. Shipments that cannot be delivered at home are redirected to a collection point, which creates additional pressure on Wednesdays.

Saturday is by far the most popular collection day: at 141.8% compared to the average, this is when most consumers go to the collection point. In the days leading up to Saturday, parcels therefore remain uncollected for longer, which means storage capacity is under pressure earlier in the week.

Jeroen Gehlen, co-founder of Wuunder: “What these figures show is that delivery moments and collection moments often do not align. Parcels are currently delivered at times that are logistically inefficient, driven by the promise of next-day delivery. These are not necessarily the moments that fit when the consumer actually has time to pick them up. If you align the two better, for example by planning delivery around the time someone will genuinely go past, you reduce a parcel’s dwell time. That leads to more even use of service points and makes the network more efficient, without requiring extra capacity. This is always important, but becomes even more essential during peak periods, because volumes increase sharply and service points fill up faster. By better aligning delivery and collection behaviour, you prevent congestion, overloading of locations, and unnecessary additional trips.”

The data is based on domestic shipments within the Netherlands from August 2025 through January 2026. It concerns shipments delivered to service points, i.e. lockers and parcel shops.