Melbourne shopping: Eastland launches click-and-collect drive-through service in its valet carpark
Ringwood’s Eastland shopping centre has joined the drive-through shopping trend – and it’s not just food you can order online and pick up.
Outer East
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Shopping centres in Melbourne’s east are embracing drive-through shopping, with another centre transforming its valet carpark to launch a click and collect service.
Eastland is allowing shoppers to drive into the carpark and collect online orders from 40 of its retailers, including Best & Less, Lorna Jane, Rebel Sport, Amcal, Dymocks and Hairhouse.
The Ringwood shopping centre’s initiative, available from 10am to 4pm daily, comes after Westfield’s launch of a similar service for food outlets at its Knox, Doncaster and Fountain Gate centres late last month.
Staff collect orders placed at shops, bundle them up for shoppers and then put them in their car boot.
Eastland general manager Greg Balmforth said the service offered added convenience for shoppers and would assist smaller retailers battling a coronavirus sales slump.
“This provides our smaller operators, who traditionally don’t have access to a service like this, the same opportunity as our national brands,” he said.
“The best feature of this complimentary service is customers don’t have to leave their cars to receive their orders — they simply drive in and out.
“This service wouldn’t have been possible without the willingness of our retailers to get on board and try something new.”
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Best & Less regional manager Ian Turner said he felt the service would appeal to its regular customers.
“We understand this is a time where we need to explore different ways to serve our customers and we think this will be a welcomed service for them,” he said.
Visitors won’t be charged to enter the valet carpark with Eastland offering free parking throughout the centre until the end of May.
Details: eastland.com.au