Back-to-school season is one of the busiest times of the year for families. As students prepare for a new school year, parents are often balancing class schedules, sports practices, extracurricular activities, work commitments and a long list of shopping needs. Finding the right clothing, school supplies, books, shoes, backpacks and everyday essentials can quickly turn into multiple trips to different stores.
DoorDash is aiming to make that annual shopping rush easier by expanding its Marketplace with three major retail additions: Barnes & Noble, Carter’s and Kohl’s. The new partnerships give parents, students and families access to a broader selection of back-to-school products that can be delivered directly to their homes, helping reduce the time and effort associated with traditional shopping trips.
The expansion strengthens DoorDash’s position as a destination for everyday retail needs, particularly during a season when convenience can make a significant difference for busy households.
Through its growing Marketplace, DoorDash now offers more than half a million products that are eligible for delivery in under an hour across categories including Apparel, Books, Baby & Kids, Household and more. The addition of Barnes & Noble, Carter’s and Kohl’s further expands the platform’s selection and gives consumers access to products that cover many of the most common needs on a back-to-school shopping list.
Barnes & Noble Brings Books and School Supplies to DoorDash
Barnes & Noble is joining DoorDash with an extensive selection of books and educational products. Consumers can use the platform to shop for required reading materials, reference books, study guides, workbooks and other resources that students may need throughout the school year.
The selection also includes practical school supplies such as notebooks, planners and pens. Beyond traditional educational products, customers can browse Barnes & Noble’s broader assortment of toys, games, stationery, gifts, movies and music.
The retailer’s selection also gives consumers access to popular products such as squishy toys and building blocks, adding options for entertainment and gifting alongside traditional school-related purchases.
The Barnes & Noble partnership represents DoorDash’s first large-scale books offering. By bringing the retailer’s selection onto the platform, DoorDash is expanding beyond food, groceries and everyday convenience items into a broader range of reading and educational products.
For families facing last-minute reading assignments or students who need a workbook, notebook or study guide on short notice, the expanded selection offers another convenient way to obtain those items without making a separate trip to a bookstore.
Carter’s Expands Kids’ Apparel and Essentials
Carter’s is also joining the DoorDash Marketplace, providing families with access to a broad assortment of children’s clothing and everyday essentials.
Back-to-school shopping often requires families to purchase multiple outfits, shoes, seasonal clothing and other necessities as children grow. Carter’s addition to DoorDash gives parents another convenient option for preparing children for school, daycare and extracurricular activities.
The retailer can also be useful when unexpected needs arise. A child may outgrow an outfit, spill something on clothing before school or suddenly need a replacement for an item that was forgotten or misplaced. With on-demand delivery through DoorDash, families can respond to those situations without necessarily having to make another trip to a store.
Carter’s is described as DoorDash’s largest assortment for kids’ apparel and essentials, making the partnership an important expansion of the platform’s children’s category.
Kohl’s Adds Department Store Shopping
Kohl’s brings another major category expansion to DoorDash, offering consumers access to products from more than 1,100 stores nationwide.
The partnership gives shoppers the ability to browse products ranging from first-day-of-school outfits and sneakers to dorm room essentials and home goods. This makes Kohl’s addition particularly relevant for both younger students and college students preparing to return to campus.
For families shopping for multiple members of a household, the department store assortment can also provide a convenient way to address several shopping needs in one place. Apparel, footwear and home products can all be part of the same back-to-school preparation process.
The Kohl’s partnership represents DoorDash’s first department store selection, further broadening the types of products consumers can purchase through the Marketplace.
Making Last-Minute Shopping More Convenient
For many families, the challenge of back-to-school shopping is not simply deciding what to buy. It is finding enough time to visit multiple stores while managing the rest of the family’s schedule.
Mike Goldblatt, Vice President of Enterprise Partnerships at DoorDash, highlighted the everyday situations that can make back-to-school preparation especially demanding. He noted that families may suddenly realize they need a missing sports uniform before practice or a notebook just as students are heading out the door.
By adding Barnes & Noble, Carter’s and Kohl’s, DoorDash is positioning its Marketplace as a way for consumers to obtain those items quickly instead of making another shopping stop.
The expansion also provides benefits for DoorDash’s retail partners by placing their products in front of consumers at moments when convenience and speed are particularly valuable.
DoorDash Continues Expanding Retail Delivery
The latest retail additions build on DoorDash’s broader investment in convenience and third-party delivery. During the first quarter of 2026, DoorDash brought fast third-party convenience delivery to more than 60% of the U.S. population.
The company reported a median delivery time of 30 minutes or less and said it fulfilled tens of millions of grocery and retail deliveries in under 30 minutes across more than 22,000 ZIP codes.
That scale is particularly relevant during the back-to-school period, when demand for apparel, books, school supplies, children’s products and household essentials can rise as families prepare for the academic year.
Rather than relying solely on traditional shopping trips, consumers can increasingly use delivery platforms to address both planned purchases and unexpected needs.
A Broader Marketplace for Busy Families
The addition of Barnes & Noble, Carter’s and Kohl’s reflects DoorDash’s continued evolution from a food-delivery service into a broader commerce and convenience platform. The company’s expanding retail assortment is designed to give consumers more options for obtaining everyday products quickly and conveniently.
For parents, the value of that expansion can be especially clear during back-to-school season. A single household may need books for reading lists, notebooks for classes, clothing for the first day, sneakers for sports, children’s essentials for daycare and home products for a college dorm.
With new retail partners spanning books, children’s apparel, footwear and department-store merchandise, DoorDash is seeking to reduce the number of shopping trips required to prepare for the school year.
As families return to increasingly busy fall schedules, the company’s growing retail Marketplace offers another way to manage the annual back-to-school rush. By combining speed, convenience and an expanding product selection, DoorDash is positioning itself as a one-stop destination for families looking to get essential school and household items delivered when they need them.
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