By Yesterday we gave you guys several good reasons why it’d be a good idea to be hooked up with Amazon Prime, and now — not even just a day later — Amazon has added another. The online retailer has announced Amazon Prime Now, a new shipping option that could get you the items you order within the hour.
The service, which is only available in Manhattan to start, allows you to pay $8 shipping on tens of thousands of goods to get them within the hour. If that $8 extra shipping isn’t ideal for you then there’s the next best thing: shipment within 2 hours for absolutely no cost. Shipments can go out between 6am and midnight, 7 days a week, so you won’t have to shuffle your schedule around just to wait for a quick package.
Unfortunately that “tens of thousands” of good are only a tiny fraction of the more than 20 million items eligible for regular Prime shipping, but Amazon says it’s a great service for getting essential items in a pinch without having to venture off to a crowded, cold store. Speaking of tiny fractions, Manhattan is only one small part of a big state and country, but Amazon says they’ll be working to bring Amazon Prime Now shipping to more cities through 2015.
Items can be ordered from within Amazon’s app made especially for Prime Now. Alongside placing the order and selecting the time you would like the items delivered, the app will allow you to see where, exactly, the driver of your shipment is so you can make sure you’re home before they arrive.
If the service isn’t in your area, downloading the app and inputting your zip code will hook you up with a notification letting you know when the service finally arrives. Amazon Prime Now launches today so if you’re lucky enough to be in the Manhattan area and don’t have time to go to the store for something you need give it a go.
[via Amazon]
Amazon must be run by wizards. This sounds like magic to me. :-)
Manhattan is only one small part of a *big city* in a big state and country
There, fixed that for you :)
It’ll probably only work in dense cities, but here in Houston where everything is spread it, Amazon would have to invest heavily in more warehouses to store the goods. Unless Amazon invented a teleporter that we’re not aware of..
I took I-10 from the Beltway East all the way to the West side. I’m mad it took me like 30 minutes to cross Houston. Not that I was going like 80. LoL!!
Things like this make me miss the big city and not want to live in the burbs.
Edit: sent something to my friend. You choose the time slot for delivery, $15 minimum order, tip recommended, and I see no way of returning something because you only see your orders within the app, does not show on my Amazon web orders history.
Add more dangerous bikes to the road, more dangerous then normal because they are on a tight schedule… yaay?
Kinda pissed I left the city now… When I get back, hopefully this will have spread to the outer boroughs by then. I doubt I’ll be able to afford Manhattan anymore at that point.