Amazon today expanded its Prime Now same-day service to two more US metropolitan areas after yesterday extending free deliveries to more areas across the country.
San Francisco’s Bay Area and San Antonio, Texas, are the two latest areas where the ultra-fast delivery service is available, making 17 markets in total. These are 15 metropolitan areas in the USA along with London and Birmingham in the UK. Prime Now costs $7.99 for a one-hour delivery and is free for two-hour deliveries.
“Prime Now is our fastest delivery option ever. With Prime Now, you can skip a trip to the store and get the items you need delivered right to your door in under an hour,” said Stephenie Landry, director of Amazon’s Prime Now service. “Customers love the convenience of one-hour delivery and we’re excited to expand in California, bringing Prime Now to the Bay Area.”
Starting today, customers in most San Francisco and San Jose neighbourhoods such as Potrero Hill, Mountain View and Cupertino can use the one-hour service and Amazon expects to expand to more neighbourhoods in San Francisco, Palo Alto and throughout Silicon Valley within the next 24 hours.
Amazon said it now has five fulfilment centres in California, employing more than 10,000 individuals in full-time jobs, and has established six Prime Now hubs in the state “to fuel superfast delivery”. In Texas, the service is available in Dallas, Austin, Houston and San Antonio. Amazon has four fulfilment centres and four Prime Now hubs in the state.
Yesterday the e-commerce giant announced that Prime Free Same-Day Delivery, launched in May this year, had been extended to Chicago and Orlando as well as new locations in the New York City, Northern New Jersey and Philadelphia areas. The programme now serves more than 750 cities and towns across 16 metro areas.
“We’re focused on making Prime better and better and every day members discover how Prime FREE Same-Day Delivery can make their lives easier,” said Greg Greeley, Vice President of Amazon Prime. “Members in Chicago and Orlando, as well as members in more than 750 cities and towns, can order by noon and receive their orders the very same day, for free.”
The latest service expansions come shortly after the e-commerce giant announced that it would take on 100,000 temporary staff across its U.S. network of fulfilment and sortation centres for the peak season this year, effectively doubling its workforce of 90,000 full-time employees. Amazon is also expanding other delivery services such as restaurant meals, fresh food and groceries.
