BOPIS Best Practices for Holiday 2025: Peak Season Tactics

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Black Friday hits and your BOPIS program implodes. Orders that normally take 2 hours sit unpicked for 6 hours. Customers arrive angry because you promised "ready by 4pm" but it's 7pm and their order is still being picked. Staff are overwhelmed, staging areas overflow, and pickup stalls jam with frustrated customers waiting 20 minutes for someone to bring their order.

Holiday peaks expose every weakness in your pickup operation. What works for 20 orders per day fails catastrophically at 200 orders per day. You need different tactics, staffing models, queue systems, and customer expectations management for November-December.

This guide gives you battle-tested holiday BOPIS strategies proven to work at scale. You'll learn how to set cutoff times you can actually keep, staff appropriately for surges, manage pickup queues efficiently, handle the returns surge, and plan capacity before you're overwhelmed. These tactics come from analyzing how Target, Walmart, and Best Buy handle millions of holiday pickups—adapted for stores of all sizes.

Holiday 2025 Timeline & Key Dates

2025 Holiday Calendar

Volume Patterns by Week

Expect these volume multipliers compared to your normal daily average:

• Normal operations (Oct): Baseline (1x)
• Thanksgiving week: 1.5-2x starting Wednesday
• Black Friday: 3-5x (single highest day)
• Cyber Monday: 2-3x
• Dec 1-7: 2x sustained
• Dec 8-21: 2.5-3x sustained (longest peak)
• Dec 22-23: 3-4x (panic buying)
• Dec 24: 1-2x (half day)
• Dec 26-31: 1x orders, 3x returns

Use your October daily average as baseline. If you do 30 pickups per day in October, plan for 90-150 on Black Friday, 60-90 sustained through mid-December, and 90-120 on Dec 22-23.

Cutoff Times: Realistic Promise Management

Your normal 2-hour same-day pickup promise will fail during holiday peaks. You need adjusted cutoffs that match your actual capacity.

Normal vs Holiday Cutoff Strategy

Normal operations (Jan-Oct): Promise 2-4 hours, cutoff at 4-6pm for same-day
Holiday operations (Nov-Dec): Extend to 4-6 hours or move to next-day, cutoff at 12-2pm

Why cutoffs must move earlier during holidays:

• Volume surges mean longer pick times per order (congestion, inventory depletion)
• You need buffer time before close to clear the queue
• Under-promising and over-delivering builds trust; opposite destroys it
• Late arrivals after close create service failures

Cutoff Formulas by Volume

Light holiday volume (under 50 orders/day):
Cutoff = Close time - Promise hours - 2 hour buffer
Example: Close at 8pm, promise 4 hours → cutoff at 2pm (8pm - 4hr - 2hr = 2pm)

Moderate volume (50-100 orders/day):
Cutoff = Close time - Promise hours - 3 hour buffer
Example: Close at 9pm, promise 6 hours → cutoff at 12pm (9pm - 6hr - 3hr = 12pm)

Heavy volume (100+ orders/day):
Move to next-day pickup only for orders after noon. Same-day becomes "order by noon, ready by 6pm."

Communicating Cutoff Changes

Customers need multiple touchpoints announcing changed cutoffs:

Week before Black Friday: Email blast to loyalty members: "Holiday pickup hours: Order by [time] for same-day. Extended hold times through Jan 15."

Website banner (Nov 20-Dec 24): "Holiday Pickup: Same-day orders must be placed by [cutoff]. Later orders ready next day."

At checkout: Update your pickup option text: "Pickup ready [today by 6pm / tomorrow]" based on current time vs cutoff.

Order confirmation: "Due to high holiday volume, your order will be ready [timeframe]. Thank you for your patience!"

Don't apologize excessively—position it as normal holiday operations, not a failure.

Real Retailer Examples

Target typically moves Drive Up cutoffs from 4pm to 2pm during Thanksgiving week and Dec 22-24. Orders after 2pm become next-morning pickup.

Best Buy extends "ready in 1 hour" to "ready in 2-4 hours" store-wide from Black Friday through Christmas. They communicate this clearly at checkout.

Walmart shifts many stores to "next-day pickup only" for general merchandise Dec 22-24, reserving same-day capacity for grocery orders.

For comprehensive holiday planning including signage and policies, see our complete BOPIS Holiday Playbook.

Staffing Models & Capacity Planning

Holiday volume requires different staffing ratios than normal operations. Here's how to calculate your needs.

Role-Based Staffing Model

Normal operations: 1 person handles picking, staging, and handoff for 20-30 orders per day

Holiday operations: Dedicated roles with specific ratios:

Picker role: One picker per 30 orders per day
Job: Pull items from shelves, verify against order, stage in numbered slots
Speed: 8-12 items per hour (slower during holidays due to depleted front stock)

Runner role: One runner per 40-50 orders per day
Job: Monitor POS queue, take staged orders to customers (curbside) or counter
Speed: 2-3 minutes per handoff if queue is organized

Greeter role (optional, peak days only): One greeter per 60+ orders per day
Job: Direct arriving customers to correct stalls, answer questions, prevent bottlenecks
When: Only during peak hours (10am-2pm and 4-7pm) on highest volume days

Staffing Calculator

Use this formula to determine holiday staffing needs:

Pickers needed = Expected daily orders ÷ 30
Example: 120 orders expected = 4 pickers

Runners needed = Expected daily orders ÷ 45
Example: 120 orders expected = 2.6 → 3 runners

Total pickup staff per day = Pickers + Runners + (Greeter if >60 orders)

Example: Black Friday forecast 150 orders
Pickers: 150 ÷ 30 = 5
Runners: 150 ÷ 45 = 3.3 → 4
Greeter: Yes (150 > 60) = 1
Total: 10 staff dedicated to pickup during open hours

Shift Structure for Peak Days

Don't schedule all pickup staff for full days. Use waves aligned to volume patterns:

Morning wave (7am-12pm): 40% of staff
Light initial volume; focus on clearing overnight online orders

Midday wave (11am-4pm): 80% of staff (overlap with morning)
Peak pickup rush; highest customer arrival volume

Evening wave (3pm-9pm): 60% of staff
Finish stragglers; prepare staged orders for next-morning pickup

Example: 10 total staff needed on Black Friday:
Morning: 4 pickers, 2 runners
Midday: 5 pickers, 4 runners, 1 greeter (max coverage)
Evening: 3 pickers, 3 runners
(Individuals work 6-8 hour shifts with overlaps creating wave coverage)

Cross-Training Existing Staff

You probably can't hire 10 new people just for holidays. Cross-train existing sales floor and cashier staff to handle pickup during breaks or slow periods.

30-minute pickup training:

1. How to find orders in POS (5 min practice)
2. Picking workflow: locate items, verify SKUs, check quantities (10 min walkthrough)
3. Staging system: numbered slots, attach order slips (5 min practice)
4. Mark "ready for pickup" in POS (triggers notification) (3 min demo)
5. Handoff protocol: verify ID/order number, mark complete (7 min role-play)

Schedule pickup cross-training for all seasonal hires during onboarding. Create one-page quick reference cards for the staging area.

Queue & Parking Flow Optimization

Normal operations: customers arrive sporadically, rarely more than 2-3 in the pickup area simultaneously. Holidays: 8-12 customers arrive within minutes, overwhelming your runners and creating 15-minute wait times.

Parking Layout Options

Option 1: Numbered stalls (works for 20-60 orders/day)
Designate 4-8 numbered parking stalls. Customers text "I'm in stall 3" when they arrive. Runner checks POS queue, grabs staged order #3, delivers to stall 3.

Pros: Simple, easy to implement
Cons: Stalls fill up during peaks; customers wait in queue

Option 2: Single queue with sequential service (works for 60-100 orders/day)
Customers park in any pickup area spot and text arrival. Staff serve in order received (first-come, first-served), regardless of stall number. POS displays queue order.

Pros: More flexible, no stall limit
Cons: Requires POS queue management; staff must track order

Option 3: Appointment slots (works for 100+ orders/day)
At checkout, customers select a 15-30 minute pickup window. Orders are batched and prepared for their slot. Customers arrive during their window.

Pros: Smooths demand; prevents queue jams
Cons: Requires appointment booking system; less spontaneous

Recommendation: Start with numbered stalls. If stalls consistently full (>60 orders/day), move to queue system. If queue wait times exceed 10 minutes regularly, implement appointment slots.

Queue Software Solutions

Your POS may have pickup queue features. Look for:

• Customer "I'm here" button in retailer app → pings staff
• Visual queue dashboard showing waiting customers in order
• Estimated wait time displayed to customers
• SMS notifications when runner is on the way

Free solution: Use a Google Sheet visible on tablets at the pickup station. Columns: Arrival time, Order #, Stall #, Status (Picking/Ready/Out for Delivery). Staff manually update as they process.

Paid solutions: Shopify POS has built-in pickup queue. RetailOps and Lightspeed have queue modules. Apps like Curbside Manager add queue features for $50-100/month.

Physical Flow Optimization

Separate entrance/exit lanes: If you have space, mark one lane "Entrance (pickup arrivals)" and one "Exit (after pickup)." Prevents traffic jams where incoming customers block outgoing customers.

Overflow stalls: Designate 2-3 regular parking spots near pickup as "Overflow Pickup" for when numbered stalls fill. Post small signs.

Greeter station: During peak hours, station a greeter at parking lot entrance with iPad showing current wait. They direct customers: "Stalls 1-4 are full, park in overflow area (spots 20-22) and text us." Prevents confusion and speeds flow.

Multiple runners: On peak days, run two runners simultaneously. Assign each to odd/even order numbers or divide by stall zones. This doubles throughput.

Managing the "Where's My Order?" Situation

Customer texts "I'm here" but their order isn't ready yet (still being picked or not marked ready in POS). This creates frustration.

Prevention: Don't send "ready for pickup" notifications until order is 100% staged and visible in runner queue. Late notifications are better than early ones.

When it happens: Runner checks POS, sees order still "In Progress," immediately texts customer: "Hi! Your order is being finished now—about 10 more minutes. We'll bring it out as soon as it's ready. Thanks for your patience!" Give specific timeframe, not vague "soon."

If over 15 min late: Offer 10% off next order or small gift card ($5). Apologize specifically: "Sorry for the wait—holiday volume is high and we're working hard to get you out quickly."

Returns at Pickup (Holiday Surge)

December 26 through mid-January creates a returns surge. Many customers try to return items during their next pickup visit.

Returns Volume Expectations

Normal return rate: 5-8% of orders
Holiday return rate: 15-25% of orders (gifts, wrong sizes, duplicates)

If you did 2,000 pickup orders in December, expect 300-500 returns in January.

Policy for Returns at Pickup

Best practice (used by Target and Walmart): Allow returns from previous orders but process them at customer service inside the store, not at the curbside pickup area.

Policy wording:
"Returning something? Bring it inside to Customer Service—our pickup team focuses on getting your new order to you quickly. You can do both in one visit!"

Why separate returns from pickup:

• Returns take 3-5 minutes (receipt lookup, refund processing, restocking decisions)
• Pickups take 1-2 minutes (verify ID, hand over, done)
• Mixing them creates queue delays for everyone
• Returns require computer system access; runners may only have tablets

Extended Returns Windows

Major retailers extend holiday return windows. Target and Walmart typically allow returns through January 31 for items purchased in November-December.

Your policy should match or exceed competitors:

Standard return window: 30 days
Holiday return window (Nov 1 - Dec 31 purchases): Returns accepted through January 31, 2026

Communicate this clearly: "Holiday shopping? Return or exchange through Jan 31—plenty of time after gifts are opened!"

Handling Gift Returns Without Receipt

Gifts often lack receipts. Your options:

Store credit policy: No receipt = store credit at current price (lowest price in last 30 days)
ID tracking: Require photo ID; limit no-receipt returns to 3 per person per year to prevent fraud
Gift receipt program: Offer gift receipts at checkout (no prices shown, but allows exchange/return)

Best Buy and Target both require ID for no-receipt returns and limit annual volume to prevent return fraud rings.

Staffing for Returns Surge

Post-Christmas week (Dec 26-31) shifts focus from pickup to returns. Rebalance staff:

Dec 26-31 staffing:
Reduce pickup pickers/runners by 30% (volume drops)
Increase customer service staff by 50% (returns surge)

Cross-train your holiday pickup staff to process returns so they stay busy during the post-Christmas slowdown.

Capacity Planning & Throttling

What if volume exceeds your capacity? You have three levers: extend ready times, move cutoff earlier, or temporarily disable same-day pickup.

Calculating Your Hard Capacity Limit

Use this formula:

Daily capacity = (Pickers × Pick rate × Open hours) ÷ Avg items per order

Example calculation:
Pickers: 4
Pick rate: 10 items/hour (holiday rate, slower than normal 15/hr)
Open hours: 12
Avg items per order: 3

Daily capacity = (4 × 10 × 12) ÷ 3 = 480 ÷ 3 = 160 orders

If you hit 80% of capacity (128 orders), you're approaching limit. At 90% (144 orders), quality suffers. At 100%+, you break promises.

Throttling Strategies

Tier 1 (70-80% capacity): Extend ready time promise from 2 hours to 4 hours. Keeps same-day alive but sets realistic expectations.

Tier 2 (80-90% capacity): Move same-day cutoff earlier by 2 hours. Orders after new cutoff become next-day automatically.

Tier 3 (90-95% capacity): Temporarily disable same-day pickup, show only next-day option at checkout. Communicate clearly: "Due to high holiday demand, pickup orders placed today will be ready tomorrow. Thank you!"

Tier 4 (95%+ capacity, emergency only): Temporarily disable all new pickup orders for 2-4 hours while you clear the backlog. Website shows "Pickup temporarily unavailable—check back at [time]." Nuclear option, avoid if possible.

Monitoring Capacity Real-Time

Assign one person to monitor capacity dashboard during peak days:

Monitor these metrics hourly:

• Orders received today (vs forecast and capacity)
• Orders in "picking" status (backlog size)
• Average time from order to ready (SLA performance)
• Staging area fullness (% of slots occupied)
• Customer wait time at pickup (queue length)

Trigger points for action:
If backlog > 2 hours of picking time → activate Tier 1
If avg time to ready > 2× promise → activate Tier 2
If staging 90% full → activate Tier 3
If customer wait time > 15 min consistently → add runner or activate Tier 3

Create a simple spreadsheet or whiteboard with these numbers updated every hour during Black Friday and peak December days.

Overflow Staging Solutions

Your normal staging area (numbered shelves/cubbies) fills up during peaks. You need overflow space.

Overflow staging options:

• Back room on pallets (for large/bulky items)
• Folding tables (temporary expansion during peak weeks)
• Shopping carts with order numbers (mobile overflow)
• Clear floor area marked with tape grid (emergency overflow)

If you're consistently using overflow, you need more permanent staging capacity—more shelves, bigger cubbies, or dedicated pickup room.

Technology & Workflow Tools

The right tools make holiday surges manageable. The wrong tools (or no tools) create chaos.

Essential Technology Stack

1. POS with pickup module (required)
Shopify POS, Lightspeed, Square all have pickup features. Must-have capabilities: mark order ready, print pickup slips, queue visibility, complete handoff.

2. Barcode/QR scanning (highly recommended)
Print QR code on each order slip. Customer shows QR in email/app, staff scans to pull up order instantly. Prevents "I'm Bob, order for Bob?" confusion when there are 5 Bobs.

3. SMS notification system (recommended)
Automatic "ready for pickup" texts have better open rates than email. Twilio-based apps integrate with most POS systems for $20-50/month.

4. Inventory sync (required)
Your online inventory must sync with store inventory in real-time (or near-real-time). Otherwise you sell items you don't have, creating cancellations and frustration.

5. Customer pickup app (optional but valuable)
Target and Walmart's apps let customers tap "I'm on my way" before arrival, giving staff prep time. Also lets customers delay pickup without calling: "Can't make it today → reschedule for tomorrow."

Low-Tech Workflow Hacks

If you can't afford tech solutions:

Color-coded staging: Assign colors to time blocks. Orders ready 9-11am get green tags, 11am-1pm get blue tags, 1-3pm get red tags. At a glance, spot orders that have been waiting too long.

Whiteboard queue: Mount a whiteboard at staging area. List current orders being picked (name, order #, picker initials, start time). Erase when staged. Prevents duplicate picking and shows bottlenecks.

Walkie-talkie coordination: Give pickers and runners walkie-talkies ($20 each). Runner: "Order 1234 ready?" Picker: "2 minutes, grabbing last item." Faster than checking POS constantly.

Pre-printed order slips: At end of each day, print next day's orders as picking slips. Pickers work from paper instead of tablets, reducing POS congestion.

For deeper technology recommendations, see our BOPIS technology stack guide.

Week-by-Week Holiday Playbook

Here's your tactical calendar for November-December 2025.

Week 1 (Nov 1-7): Preparation

Actions:

• Hire and begin training seasonal staff (pickup cross-training for all)
• Test staging capacity—can you handle 3x current volume?
• Order additional supplies (bags, tape, order slips, signage)
• Review and update pickup policies (extend holiday return window, adjust cutoffs)
• Schedule staff for peak dates (Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Dec 22-24)

Volume: Normal (baseline)

Week 2 (Nov 8-14): Testing & Refinement

Actions:

• Run pickup drills with staff (simulate 50-order day)
• Deploy holiday signage (extended return windows, cutoff changes)
• Send first customer communication: "Holiday pickup is here—order early for best selection!"
• Finalize Thanksgiving week/Black Friday schedule

Volume: Normal (baseline)

Week 3 (Nov 15-21): Ramp-Up Begins

Actions:

• Volume starts climbing—1.5x by end of week
• Monitor capacity daily; be ready to extend ready times if needed
• Send Black Friday prep communication: "Black Friday pickup available—order by noon for same-day!"
• Stock up inventory for high-demand items

Volume: 1.2-1.5x by Friday

Week 4 (Nov 22-28): Thanksgiving & Black Friday

Monday-Wednesday: 1.5-2x volume; prep for Friday surge
Thursday (Thanksgiving): Close or very limited hours; clear all orders before close
Friday (Black Friday): 3-5x volume; all hands on deck; noon cutoff for same-day
Saturday-Sunday: 2-3x volume continues

Actions:

• Max staffing Friday-Sunday
• Extend store hours if possible
• Monitor capacity hourly on Friday; activate throttling tiers if needed
• Celebrate staff survival with food/bonus/recognition

Week 5 (Nov 29-Dec 5): Cyber Week

Monday (Cyber Monday): 2-3x volume; online orders surge
Tuesday-Friday: 2x sustained volume
Weekend: 1.8x volume

Actions:

• Maintain elevated staffing all week
• Watch for inventory depletion; restock aggressively
• Extend ready times to 4-6 hours if needed

Weeks 6-7 (Dec 6-19): Peak Sustained Volume

Volume: 2.5-3x sustained for two full weeks (longest peak period)

Actions:

• This is the marathon—pace staff with adequate breaks
• Returns start arriving (process separately from pickup)
• Watch for staff burnout; rotate roles to keep energy up
• Communicate final Christmas order dates: "Order by Dec 23 for Christmas Eve pickup!"

Week 8 (Dec 20-24): Final Christmas Rush

Friday-Monday (Dec 20-23): 3-4x volume; desperate last-minute shoppers
Tuesday (Dec 24, Christmas Eve): Half-day operations; close pickup at noon

Actions:

• Consider next-day-only pickup Dec 22-23 (disable same-day)
• Strict noon cutoff on Dec 24—communicate clearly
• Clear all orders by 2pm Dec 24; send staff home early
• Prepare for Dec 26 returns surge

Week 9 (Dec 25-31): Post-Christmas

Volume: Pickup orders drop to 1x; returns surge to 3x

Actions:

• Shift staff from pickup to customer service (returns processing)
• Process returns quickly—aim for same-day refunds
• Restock returned items in good condition
• Send "Thank you for your holiday business!" message
• Begin post-mortem: what worked, what to improve for 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

Continue Your BOPIS Journey

Holiday best practices are one piece of your complete pickup program:

• BOPIS & Curbside Holiday Playbook 2025 — Complete setup guide with policies, signage, and SLA calculators
• Shopify BOPIS Setup Guide — Step-by-step Shopify configuration for pickup
• Free Curbside Signage Templates — Print-ready signs for stalls and directional markers
• BOPIS Policy Examples — Hold times, ID rules, returns from Target/Walmart/Best Buy
• BOPIS Technology Stack — POS systems, apps, and workflow tools

Preparing for Holiday 2025? Bookmark this guide and start planning in October. Questions about your specific situation? Drop a comment below or share this with fellow retailers gearing up for peak season.