Amazon is using mini fulfillment centers along with the help of gig workers to make same-day delivery even faster in four cities, it announced today.
Amazon Prime members in Philadelphia, Phoenix, Orlando, and Dallas can now get up to 3 million items delivered within hours – from diapers and dog food to phone chargers and personal care items.
Amazon offers the service to Prime members by storing what it called “need-it-today” items in brand new facilities that are “built even closer to customers.” Geekwire reported the new warehouses are about one-tenth the size of typical Amazon fulfillment centers that tend to be located in more isolated areas.
“These are first-of-their-kind buildings and serve as mini-fulfillment centers optimized for faster click-to-delivery speeds,” Amazon said in today’s announcement. “And while it may seem counterintuitive, the faster delivery speeds enabled by these facilities actually help us lower carbon emissions in line with our Climate Pledge to be net zero carbon by 2040—10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement. This is because these new facilities are in close proximity to customers, reducing the need for aircraft transport and generally decreasing the distance drivers have to travel to deliver packages to our customers.”
In addition to hiring part-time and fulltime workers, Amazon pointed to using “Amazon Flex delivery partners” (gig workers) to deliver same-day packages.
“Same-Day Delivery is free to Prime members on qualifying orders over $35 or $2.99 for delivery on orders under $35. To see if Same-Day Delivery is available in their area, customers can visit the zip code checker on amazon.com/sameday.”
Customers who order eligible items between midnight and 8 am receive their order same-day by 1 pm. Orders placed between 8 am – 1 pm arrive same-day by 6 pm. And items ordered between 1 pm – 5 pm arrive same-day by 10 pm.
Members can also order as late as midnight and opt for “Overnight by 8am,” in which case drivers will arrive between 4:30 – 8:00 am.
You can find the full announcement on the AboutAmazon.com blog.
