A RESIDENT in Salisbury was the first person in the country to return a potentially unwanted Christmas present, it has been claimed.

It was still dark when the first parcel was returned to a Collect+ store in the Wiltshire city at 7.02am on Christmas Day, according to payment systems firm PayPoint.

It was another 38 minutes before the next parcel was returned in Glasgow, at 7.40am.

In total, 419 parcels were returned on Christmas Day through the Collect+ service at local convenience stores across the UK.

Some customers returned more than one potentially unwanted present.

In Enfield, north London, a single customer returned seven parcels at 12.09pm, while in Wokingham, Berkshire, a customer returned six parcels at 12.44pm. A further five were returned by a customer in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, at 6.50pm.

Meanwhile, there were hundreds of potentially happier customers who collected parcels on Christmas Day.

In total, 1,043 parcels were collected on December 25 because their local convenience stores were open.

Lewis Alcraft, chief commercial officer at PayPoint, said: "Whilst most of us tucked into our turkey dinners on Christmas Day, thousands of staff at convenience stores were hard at work.

"Collect+ has transformed services in communities to ensure that people can receive gifts and parcels at nearby collection points, while also offering a way for those who weren't overjoyed at what Santa brought them to return their presents."

The top 10 swiftest Christmas Day returns were, according to PayPoint:

  • 7.02am Salisbury, Wiltshire.
  • 7.40am Glasgow.
  • 7.43am Norwich, Norfolk.
  • 7.54am London.
  • 8.24am Bracknell, Berkshire.
  • 8.46am Slough, Berkshire.
  • 8.51am Swindon, Wiltshire.
  • 9.27am London.
  • 9.28am Bury, Lancashire.
  • 9.32am Barnsley, South Yorkshire.