Online photo service Shutterfly announced Monday that it would make the leap to retail stores via a partnership with Target stores. Using either company’s Web site, users will be able to upload, store and share photos just as they normally would with Shutterfly, but prints will be available for pickup at Target stores in as little as one hour.
The move will place Shutterfly in direct competition with pharmacies like CVS and Rite Aid, which have long leveraged their physical locations to offer in-store pickup of online orders. All three companies offer standard 4×6 prints for what seems to be the going rate of 19 cents.
"This partnership provides a first-of-its-kind retail channel for Shutterfly with one of the nation’s leading consumer brands, and we are delighted to have found in Target the ideal business partner to give consumers the quality experience they expect from Shutterfly," said president and chief executive officer of Shutterfly, Jeffrey Housenbold, in a statement.
Oddly enough, the photo section of Target’s Web site still prompts users to log in with the soon-to-be-defunct Yahoo Photo. We can only speculate that Target made arrangements with Shutterfly following the announcement of Yahoo Photo’s closing on Friday, but didn’t quite have time to update their site.
