Will call
Will call refers to a method of delivery for purchased items where the customer picks up the items at the seller's place of business, primarily in United States commerce. It may also refer to the department within a business where goods are staged for customer pick up.
The word "call" is a shortened form of "call for", which means "to come and get", so "will call" literally means " will call for the goods." In a linguistic process similar to initial-stress derived nominalization, the first syllable of the noun phrase is usually stressed rather than the second syllable in the verb phrase.
The term is most commonly used in relation to admission tickets for events.
North America
, Will Call is still in wide use for ticket sales at a box office where patrons of entertainment venues go to pick up pre-purchased tickets for an event, such as a play, sporting event, museums, or concerts, either just before the event or in advance. At large venues such as stadiums or theme parks, "Will Call" pickup windows may be designated specifically for this purpose.In the wholesale and retail trade industry, a will call memo is given to wholesale delivery drivers as an instruction to pick up items at the address stated on the memo.