Overview
- Parcel pickup locations report overflowing storage, with some consignments redirected or refused, including a Huissen shop that had to send away two of four delivery carts.
- PostNL reports about 40% more out-of-home deliveries this season and roughly 60% higher use of parcel lockers, reflecting changing consumer choices.
- The carrier handles around 1.2 million parcels on a normal day, compared with roughly 3 million at last year’s seasonal peak, which is straining operations across the network.
- When pickup points are full, parcels return to sorting centers for next‑day attempts, causing delays as more customers authorize drops at designated spots around their homes.
- Eurostat data show the Netherlands leads Europe in online shopping, with the Utrecht region especially active, and local operators describe hundreds of daily pickups with mostly patient customers despite occasional outbursts.