By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-10-30 06:06:32 | Updated at 2024-10-30 13:26:02
7 hours ago
Amazon is set to discontinue one of its most popular Prime perks early next year.
The service, Amazon Today, provides same-day delivery for items from select local stores in customers' neighborhoods.
It differs from the core Prime delivery service, which is for items sold by Amazon from its vast network of warehouses across the US.
Depending on the item and area, Prime delivery options could include two-day, same-day, or even one-hour delivery.
Stores - wither independents just in one town or chains with multiple locations - could sign up to Today. Popular partners include Office Depot, Staples, Petco, PacSun, GNC, Diesel, and SuperDry.
Amazon is scrapping its same-day delivery service for Prime subscribers early next year
In addition to home delivery, Amazon Today lets customers order items for pickup directly from stores.
Prime members enjoyed the service for free on orders over $25, but for smaller purchases, a $2.99 fee was applied.
Today, launched in 2024, will shut down for most retail partners by December 2 and run through January 24 for a select few.
A spokesperson for Amazon said the service is facing the chop because of 'overlap' with its other delivery services.
'This will streamline our offerings for customers, and the majority of selection our customers buy from Amazon Today will continue to be available for same- and one-day delivery,' the spokesperson told The Street.
However, cutting the service will also have huge ramifications for employees who will either lose their jobs or be moved internally to other positions within the company.
Customers were mostly annoyed that Today is being cut - with some saying they would cancel Prime, which costs $14.99 a month or $139 a year.
'They don't even appear to be trying anymore,' another said of Prime on Reddit.
'It seems the Prime that I pay for is not getting me any value,' a third agreed.
But one joked it was a good move for them, writing: 'Annoying but I’ll probably end up with fewer spontaneous purchases so probably a good thing in the long run.'
It comes just weeks after the company boasted about its record delivery speeds.
'So far this year, our speed of delivery for Prime customers has been faster than ever before, with more than 5 billion units arriving the same day or next day,' CEO Andy Jassy said during a recent earnings call.
The new Amazon logo has replaced the blue tape with light and dark green stripes
'With more optimal inbound inventory placement, we expect to enable faster speeds, consolidate more orders in one box, and reduce inventory transfers once items reach a fulfillment center,' Jassy told investors.
The removal of the perk also comes after Amazon confused its loyal shoppers with an unannounced change to its shopping app logo.
The well known cardboard colored box logo with a black arrow has seen a subtle change in the latest update for the app.
The little square, symbolizing the tape that seals Amazon packages, has changed from its well-known light blue to stripes of dark and light green.
Meanwhile, as drug stores across the US are struggling, Amazon has plans for 20 new pharmacies next year.
It contrasts with Walgreens, which said earlier this month that it would shut 1,200 stores over the next three years.
