Walmart (WMT  ) has recently announced that it has made a deal with FedEx (FDX  ) called "Carrier Pickup" in order to schedule returns that have been bought online, in-store, or from third party vendors.

Customers can either return the products in person or have them picked up from the comfort of their own homes. The process of returning items to Walmart has been made not only quicker but also more efficient and safer for customers. The process involved in the Carrier Pickup includes four steps: start a return on walmart.com on the Walmart app, choose an item, select the option of 'return pickup' and 'appointment date,' and finally, pack the item, label it, and wait for it to be picked up.

This new return service that Walmart has made with FedEx will help to relieve logistical stressors caused by an unprecedented level of holiday returns. The real estate firm CBRE estimates that around $70.5 billion worth of items will be returned this year, and therefore, the United States is more in demand for warehouses in order to handle the amount of returns that will be coming in. This high rush of returns will put an increased strain on employees who are already working hard to fulfill incoming orders. About 400 million square feet of warehouse space within the next five years will likely be needed in order to go through the returns and to ensure that they are given properly. One reason for this major jump in returns and thus purchases is that many more people have resorted to online shopping.

In addition to the 400 million square feet of warehouse space, about 1.5 billion square feet of industrial space is likely to be needed. Ecommerce spending has increased significantly lately, thus overloading warehouses with items. But Walmart's plan to utilize the FedEx Carrier Pickup program will likely alleviate the stress caused by excessive amounts of items from any returns. Thus, the employees will feel less of a burden, and warehouse space will be increased.

All in all, Walmart's new product service return program seems to be a predicted hit, given that there have been so many unexpected issues regarding warehouse space that have been pointed out by the CBRE. It will benefit not only employees but also customers, for both the sake of time and convenience.