The Pickup Stopwatch: We Timed 12 UK Click-and-Collect Counters — and the 'Free' Part Needs an Asterisk
Click-and-collect has become the default flex for UK shoppers who want the item today-ish without paying for delivery or hanging around for a van. The pitch is simple: order online, skip the delivery fee, nip to a store or locker, and you're done. Except the stopwatch tells a messier story. Across 12 major UK retailers, we recorded everything from a 19-minute locker pickup to a next-day queue at a back-door counter — and a few collection points that technically saved us the delivery charge while quietly costing us more in parking, add-ons or a second trip.
This wasn't a lab test. We used one weekday, one £35-ish basket per retailer, and the same two questions: how long from 'order placed' to 'ready to collect', and how long from arriving at the collection point to having the thing in hand. We also noted whether the retailer charged for collection, whether the basket had to clear a minimum, and whether the return policy changed because we'd chosen pickup instead of delivery.
The headline timings
| Retailer | Collection type | Order to 'ready' | At the point to in hand | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screwfix | Locker / counter | 19 min | 4 min | Fastest overall; text alert was accurate |
| Toolstation | Counter | 24 min | 6 min | Quick, but queue formed at 5pm |
| Argos | Desk | 38 min | 9 min | Busy store; self-serve till helped |
| Boots | Desk | 1 hr 12 min | 7 min | Text said 'ready'; email lagged |
| B&Q | Desk | 1 hr 48 min | 12 min | Parking cost £1.50 |
| Currys | Desk | 2 hr 05 min | 16 min | Two staff, one till open |
| Halfords | Counter | 2 hr 31 min | 11 min | Fine once we found the right desk |
| IKEA | Drive-thru / desk | 3 hr 10 min | 22 min | Collection slot system; not instant |
| John Lewis | Desk | 3 hr 41 min | 14 min | Smooth, but not a 'today' reflex |
| Next | Desk | 4 hr 16 min | 18 min | Ready same day; collection queue slow |
| M&S | Desk | 5 hr 02 min | 12 min | Clothing desk doubled as returns |
| Asda | Locker / desk | Next morning | 8 min | Cutoff time caught us out |
Averages hide the useful bit. The gap between 'ready' and 'in hand' was usually under 20 minutes, but the gap between ordering and ready ranged from less than half an hour to overnight. If your plan is 'order at lunch, collect after work', that spread matters more than any delivery-fee saving.
Lockers win the stopwatch, not the whole race
The fastest pickups were the least glamorous: a locker bank and a trade counter. No browsing, no queue behind someone returning a kettlem, no hunt for a colleague with the key. But lockers are only fast if the item fits. Bulky homeware, fragile bits, and anything that needs a signature or age check tends to land at a desk. One retailer's 'locker' option quietly became a counter collection at checkout because the basket was too big — a detail that only appeared on the confirmation page.
The communication gap is the real faff
Three retailers sent a 'ready' text before the email, and one sent the email first. That sounds trivial until you're standing in a shop showing a screenshot of an order status that staff can't scan. The best messages included a collection code, the exact desk or locker location, and a cutoff time. The worst said 'ready within 1 hour' and then took three. In 2026, 'ready' should mean ready — not 'someone has printed the picking list'.
Collection isn't automatically the cheaper choice
This is where the 'free' label gets slippery. None of the 12 charged a collection fee on our baskets, but several had a minimum spend for free collection, and two defaulted to a paid delivery slot unless we manually switched to pickup. Parking added £1.50 at one store and £2 at another. A return trip because the item was wrong added fuel and time. And in one case, the collection-only price was the same as the delivered price, so the only saving was the delivery fee we'd have paid anyway — not a discount for helping the retailer.
What to check before you choose collection in 2026
- The cutoff, not the promise. 'Ready today' usually has a cutoff time buried in the delivery tab. Miss it and you're in next-day territory.
- Which collection point. Desk, locker, drive-thru and third-party newsagent are different experiences. Check the confirmation page, not the product page.
- Whether returns change. Some retailers let you return collection orders in-store; others push you to post them back. That's a cost if the item is bulky.
- Parking and access. Town-centre pickup can cost more in parking than the delivery fee you avoided. Retail-park lockers are easier, but only if you're driving.
- The 'ready' alert. If it doesn't include a code and a location, screenshot the order page before you leave.
The verdict
Click-and-collect is still a sensible default for small, non-urgent baskets and for anyone who can't be home for a delivery. But the stopwatch says it's not one product — it's a dozen different service levels wearing the same badge. The fastest pickups were trade counters and lockers; the slowest were busy clothing desks doubling as returns queues. Treat the collection slot as a promise with a cutoff, check the parking maths, and don't assume 'free collection' means the cheapest route. Sometimes the £3.95 delivery is the bargain.
