Amazon Lockers in Paris for Online Shopping Pickups

I needed a case for my new iPhone XR, and after checking all the major French electronic retailers (Darty, Fnac, and even Monoprix and HEMA) in Les Halles, I discovered that none of them carried a case for my phone at a price I was willing to pay. For some reason, the XS phones were found everywhere in all sorts of colors and price ranges, but not so for the XR. Darty offered a clear XR case but wanted 40 euros for it. No, thanks!

After walking to BHV in the Marais (it was actually Boulanger, located in BHV), and seeing that their reasonably priced clear case was out of stock, I realized I had no choice but to order on Amazon.

I could have tried to find a bazar or drougerie – essentially a discounted knick-knack home supply store – and I actually know of a really good one in the 9th arrondissement, but it felt kind of silly to trek all the way there for a 10€ phone case. It’s Carnaval des Affaires at 30 Boulevard Poissonnière in case you are in the area: a great spot for all sorts of little things you may have forgotten at home! I’ve also bought several duffle bags there (about 12 euros each) for extra clothes I bought in Paris that can’t fit in my suitcase!

So that left me with Amazon.

Now, ordering something to an apartment you are subletting is a huge pain in Paris. I was curious if Amazon Lockers had made its way to France to alleviate this problem, and much to my surprise: it did!

I had a few other things to purchase as well as the phone case so I figured I might as well try out Amazon Locker in France and see how it works.

Ordering with Amazon

The good news is that you can use your same Amazon.com credentials to create an account with Amazon.fr so it’s easy for you to remember. Amazon will connect your accounts in the backend so your saved addresses and credit cards will appear during checkout.

I ended up buying 5 items to reach the 25€ minimum for free shipping. Note that there is a size limit to the items you can order and have delivered to the locker to ensure it all fits. Sadly this meant there was no French straw basket for me this time around. I placed my order very late on a Friday night (so technically Saturday morning) and the first three items were available for pick up by Monday afternoon!

Shipping Emails

Now because I ordered several items, there were 3 separate shipments. Over the weekend, I received a series of emails telling me when each shipment was due to arrive. The first was due on Monday, the second on Tuesday and the third on Wednesday.

I live pretty close to Gare de Lyon, but not close enough that I want to make three separate trips. Luckily Amazon lets you pick up your shipments within 3 days of their arrival. I needed some of the items right away, so I decided I would make 2 trips to the train station instead of three. One on Monday for the first package and one on Wednesday for the other two packages.

Amazon Lockers at Gare de Lyon

I got an email that the first shipment was ready for pickup on Monday at 12:30pm. After lunch, I headed to Gare de Lyon to find the locker where my items were located. I have to say it took me a lot longer to find the locker itself than to actually retrieve the items!

Gare de Lyon is a large place and even though I walked around, I couldn’t find the exit (sortie)the email told me the locker was located near.

Eventually, I made my way downstairs to Hall 3 in the lower level and found the locker:

Amazon Locker – Mariame
Paris Gare de Lyon (sortie place Frenay)
Place Frenay

The locker is a bright yellow color and contains a series of bright yellow cabinets with a single screen in the center.

I walked up to the screen. It said to push anywhere to continue. I tapped it once and a screen appeared asking me to enter the code from my email or scan the barcode in my email using the scanner below.

I opened the email from my phone and placed it beneath the screen where the scanner was located.

Immediately, I heard a locker to my left pop open. Voila!

Inside was a single box in which my three items were held. Easy enough!

Review

All in all, I’m happy with my decision to use Amazon Lockers to order some last-minute gadgets while in Paris. It’s a quick way to pick up things that you may have forgotten at home, while you are staying at an apartment in Paris.

I will definitely be using Amazon lockers in Paris again!