You’ll get your parcel before Christmas – but only if you order on time
16.12.2024
Translation: Katherine Martin
If you’re one of those people who enjoy the adrenaline rush of last-minute Christmas shopping, you’ll want to read this article. Keep these deadlines in mind to make sure your pre-Christmas order arrives before the holidays.
Okay, let’s get the most important bit out of the way first. Anything you order by 11 a.m. on Saturday, 21 December that’s marked as «in stock» will generally get to you by 24 December.
If it’s general cargo – i.e. a heavy or bulky item – you’re after, you’ll need to order it by 1 p.m. on 16 December. That’s because items like oversized TVs, beds, sofas or shiny new bedroom wardrobes need a certain amount of lead time for the supplier to arrange a delivery slot with you. If you’ve got your eye on a smaller bulky item, such as a garden rake, you even have until 1 p.m. on 19 December to place your order.
How to find products that are «in stock»
There are two ways to find products we have in stock at our own warehouses. Working alongside our logistics partners, we’re very confident we can get these products to you on time.
- You can filter for these items in our shop. Just select Offers, then «Products in stock». This’ll display all the relevant products.
- Alternatively, you can keep an eye out for the sleigh icon. From the beginning of December, you’ll see this symbol on a product’s page if it’s guaranteed to be delivered by Christmas. The same goes for the other way round: no sleigh, no guaranteed delivery.
This’ll be especially important from 19 December onwards – the symbols will be gone then, and only the typical delivery time displayed. While a product may be marked with «delivery tomorrow», the high volume of parcels means your order could actually get stuck in the warehouse over Christmas, should something go awry.
What happens if you order after 11 a.m. on 21 December?
You can, of course, still keep placing orders on Saturday afternoon. Or even on Sunday, if you like. With a bit of luck, your parcel might still make it to your doorstep by Christmas Eve. «But we can’t guarantee that in good conscience, because it’s not solely in our hands at that point,» says Peter Weingartner, Leader First & Last Mile in Supply Chain Management.
For the eleventh hour: gift vouchers
Read this far and already missed the delivery deadlines? Worry not – we have your saving grace: digital vouchers for Galaxus! You’ll even be able to gift this digital ticket to retail therapy by text message. Or you can invest a little more time and affection, print out the voucher and put it in an envelope you’ve decorated yourself. That’ll probably look a bit more impressive. You can select the value of the voucher: anything from 10 to 400 euros is possible.
Don’t want to buy a dud? Get your head around the topic of gift vouchers first by reading my interview with one.
If you do go for a gift voucher, and are in need of inspiration on how to spruce it up, you’ll definitely find a few good tips in this article.
Martin Jungfer
Head of Content
Martin.Jungfer@digitecgalaxus.chMy career as a journalist began back when printing presses were still a thing. Writing pieces for a publication aimed at breeders of small animals was my first steppingstone. Several years later, I got a call from headquarters. I was put in charge of several digitisation projects and establishing audience management strategies for regional newspapers and the NZZ. I’ve been with Digitec Galaxus since 2020, writing articles whenever I get the chance. As I have semi-superficial knowledge of many things, my spectrum of topics is quite broad.