Detailed within an Amazon press release made public today, the online retailer rolled out Sunday delivery service within fifteen new cities around the United States as of today. Originally starting with New York City and Los Angeles several months ago, the U.S. Postal Service will be in charge of delivering these packages on Sunday. This has been a particularly ideal scenario for the USPS which ultimately could mean an expansion of USPS jobs as Amazon continues to expand this service over the coming months.
Regarding the latest expansion, residents of Austin, College Station, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Waco in Texas, Cincinnati and Columbus in Ohio, New Orleans and Shreveport in Louisiana, Lexington and Louisville in Kentucky as well as Indianapolis, Oklahoma City and Philadelphia will be able to receive purchases on Sunday. Ideal for Amazon Prime members, this means it’s possible to place an order early Saturday morning, pay the $3.99 charge for overnight delivery and receive the item on Sunday.
Speaking about how Sunday delivery is being utilized by customers up to this point, Amazon vice president of North America operations Mike Roth said “So far, the most common items delivered on Sunday include baby supplies such as newborn apparel, books and toys—Sunday delivery is clearly crossing errands off the weekend to-do list. We know our Amazon customers love the convenience of everyday delivery, and we’re excited to be offering Sunday delivery in more cities across the U.S.“
This is yet another step that Amazon is taking in order to become more competitive with brick & mortar retailers. Other improvements to the service over the past couple years include same-day delivery in some cities as well as the Amazon Prime Pantry service, a direct competitor to the grocery store that allows Prime customers to ship 45 pounds of groceries to their doorstep for a $6 fee.
