Parcel services braced for Black Friday peak: PostNL uses 300 extra trucks

THE HAGUE – Parcel services are preparing for a record number of deliveries at the end of the year. They expect that demand for products from Chinese web shops such as Alibaba, Temu and Shein will bring a lot of traffic this year.

Market leader PostNL will therefore be using 1,500 extra delivery trips and three hundred extra trucks every day from 25 November. Employees work longer hours and also on Sundays. As Black Friday only falls on November 29 this year, just six days before Sinterklaas, every effort must be made, according to a spokesperson. “We will deliver with full staff on the Sunday after Black Friday.” PostNL saw orders from abroad increase by 29 percent in the last quarter, mainly due to the increase in Asian web shops.

Competitor DPD notes that the crowd will start even faster. “It actually kicks off on November 11 with Singles Day,” a spokesperson said. “This is becoming more and more popular in the Netherlands, especially among young women. This will be followed by Black Friday, Cyber ​​Monday, Sinterklaas and of course Christmas. Due to the many products that come after the holidays, extra people have to be used at the beginning of the new year.

Dropshippers

The rise of Chinese online shopping has been going on for some time, says a DPD spokesman. “In fact, the Chinese online stores are already fully integrated into the Dutch online store network. Dropshippers are also selling more and more products from China through bol.com.”

DHL, which claims a market share of 40 percent, says it is prepared for peak days with 2 million parcels, double the number four years ago. “Given our position in the market, it will definitely be busier for us than last year.”

DHL largely has its own delivery staff. They mostly work part-time, but can be used more frequently at peak times. If needed, temporary workers and subcontractors will also help. The company advises customers not to leave orders until the last minute.

“Besides the fact that Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday always take place around the same weekend, this year the holidays such as Sinterklaas, Christmas and New Year’s Eve falls in the middle of the week. This means they are close to the previous weekend, which is the preferred ordering time for many customers. It actually relieves the pressure if a lot of the shopping is done a little earlier. “