Amazon is touting quicker Prime delivery times thus far in 2024, versus 2023.
But others are asking whether that’s really the right flex for Amazon to make right now, given the safety, people, environmental, and legal costs associated with it.
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The announcement is mostly made up of weird business name-dropping, but there is this little nugget:
In March, nearly 60% of Prime member orders arrived the same or next day across the top 60 largest U.S. metro areas, and we delivered three out of four items the same or next day in London, Tokyo, and Toronto.
The delivery speed uptick for Prime orders was not just domestically but worldwide, with (evidently) best performance in Canada, England, and Japan.
I am assuming that the international orders were in-stock in local Amazon warehouses and not shipped from the US in that time frame, so I also assume that these were then designated as Prime-eligible for that specific location. I don’t begrudge speedy delivery for Prime members living abroad at all, and good for them–though I do suspect that the product options for that delivery window are limited, but still, good show!
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Our delivery time frames just continue to get longer, ever since Covid. They’ve really tanked since 4th quarter last year. Anything ordered Prime is at least 3-4 business days delivery, but typically more like 5-6.
Maybe they’re deprioritizing anyone that doesn’t live in the biggest metro areas to pad that stat? We are not in a metro area, but we are less than 1.5 hrs from one of the top 40, which has at least two fulfillment centers in it (maybe 3 now?). We’re also in the middle of the country - no coast to coast travel needed. Once the products actually ship, we get next day delivery, but shipping takes multiple days.
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IDK. You’ve got 1 van rolling around with 200 deliveries in it that saved 200 trips in cars for 200 people. Another way to look at it which arguably is better for the planet.
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My guess would be that it’s the trucks and planes that are bigger concerns than the local vans, but I’m not at all certain or studied in this area or personally making the claim.
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Our AMAZON merchandise arrives in 1-2 days-usually. Delivered via AMZ truck and a nice driver who delivers an image when he places the merchandise on our portico. There are AMAZON warehouses nearby, 3 or 4 in Phoenix/Tempe area and a couple in Tucson Mail orders a lot slower but we rarely have to wait for our orders.
Don’t have any issues w/ the time frame-but the packaging on books still sucks…
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and another way.
Say, those 200 people bought a 10 items during there visit to the store.
Still have 200 people trips to the store.
The Amazon van, now needs to make 10 trips.
Further, on the Amazon side, those 2,000 (200 x 10 items) items (arguably 2000 different items), had to be shipped (in my case from Los Angeles to New Jersey), only to be put on another truck to 50+ FCs and processed before that van hits the road to your house.
No doubt, the economics of which one is more environmentally friend, needs a serious study, as there is far more than meets the eye here.
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What is the 60 biggest? How many people are in the 60 biggest?
Well on Wiki, the 60 consist of about 160 million Americans.
So maybe amazon should ANNOUNCE.
"The company says it FAILED TO delivered almost 70 percent of Prime orders the same or next day nationwide.
How’s that for SAYING THE SAME THING…
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YEP.
Unless I’m ordering online from local stores for curbside pick up, I personally don’t expect or require that my online shopping orders arrive same-day or next-day.
If I truly need something immediately, I go to a store and get it, or go without due to my own poor planning.
Amazon’s touting of same-day/next-day is simultaneous priming attempts to
- convince people to shop with them instead of locally even for “immediate” needs (whether they’ll actually get same/next day delivery or not) , AND
- condition consumer expectations into same/next day being the standard for all online shopping.
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Delivery services in general have less efficient deliveries. For example, I use instacart to get groceries, I have the membership where I pay annually instead of per delivery. I usually make a small order every day or two (sometimes even 2 orders in a day from 2 different places).
If I had to go to the store myself, I would get a lot of stuff and most likely only make 1 trip a week, but because someone else is doing the work I have no problem putting in an order every other day. People will order 1 thing at a time from Amazon because it’s shipped to their door thus using multiple boxes and multiple trips. People also buy trash they don’t need because it’s convenient. If someone had to go to the store to buy something they don’t really need then they might not buy it at all.
Instacart does have a minimum order ($35), but after all the inflation the last few years that’s like 3 items.
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A tale of two packages from a single Prime order:
- Order placed: Monday 29 Apr
- Expected delivery: Wednesday 1 May by 9p (today)
- 6 items: 4 books, 2 crochet things.
- All FBA; 5 items sold by Amazon, 1 sold by 3P.
Package 1: 4 items originating in FC 500 miles away. 2 books. Delivered today at 11a. In USPS possession less than 10 hours.
Package 2: 2 items sold by Amazon originating in FC 300 miles away. 2 books. Not yet in USPS possession. Delayed, now expected tomorrow.
SAME ORDER
This is not a “my location” problem.
This is not a USPS problem.
This is an Amazon problem.
Obviously, these books my children chose for themselves with recent gift cards (or my crochet notions) are not urgent. We wouldn’t care if they were delivered next week, or next month.
The issue is Amazon’s extreme inconsistency in delivering on its own Prime FBA promises. Even as a Prime customer, you can’t count on Amazon to handle its own business.
So when Amazon issues a press release highlighting “improved” Prime delivery–you gotta wonder what they’re covering up or trying to distract from. 
Like @Chimanimani said, not only has Amazon FAILED to deliver 70% of nationwide domestic Prime orders same- or next-day, but Amazon also fails to provide consistent delivery of Prime orders according to their own promises.
Further, from a Seller perspective:
- Amazon would ding a FBMer for this order with an ODR hit for late delivery unless the 3P used Amazon Buy Shipping (and even then it would still be more work for the 3P), and
- I intentionally purchased these new books from Amazon rather than a 3P FBM Seller because of Amazon’s Prime delivery promise. Amazon took sales from 3P Sellers based on a promise they won’t fulfill.
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Seems to be a location problem. Not really yours but Amazon’s. All of our stuff comes from 14 miles from here and normally gets here in 12 hours or less, sometimes as little as 3 or 4 hours.
Either you don’t have a FC close to you OR the inventory wasn’t at that closer FC.
I know I am comparing apples to cinder blocks living in a borough of NYC. Our Amazon FBA deliveries are always on time and yours never seem to be. Location is part of the equation OR we are buying stuff that is more popular and thus has a higher inventory level.
Amazon should not be promising buyers things they can’t deliver. That we can agree on.
ETA - We try to only buy stuff that is same day or overnight delivery. I’m starting to think that 1 and 2 day arrivals are real stretches for Amazon to meet because the inventory is far far away.
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We have 2 here, but neither had these books, nor did any of the many closer FCs between here and origination. As I said, the part of the order (4 items) that did arrive today was from 500 miles away, and the part that didn’t (2 books) is 300 miles away.
75% of my FBA orders are on time. The other 25% are this craziness that makes me wonder what’s the point of Prime.
It’s the inconsistency for Buyer Me.
I am never offered or promised same/next day, regardless of product. Nothing is delivered same/next day, either, no matter origination. And 25% is a situationship.
This is the key point PLUS then fiddling about the “some stuff” they get right while ignoring Rome burning around them.
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To update, Package 2 of the same Prime order arrived this morning: 1 day later than expected, 24h after Package 1 (USPS obviously delivers to my house at 11am daily 
) but well before the revised (delayed) EDT of tonight by 9p. It was delayed a day by Amazon at the originating FC.
If Amazon had padded their EDD by 1 day, it wouldn’t have been a problem–but they also might not have gotten the sale.
…and the current tape “It’s on Prime and now it’s here” 
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Amazon is experimenting with enhancements/incentives associated with Prime Delivery.
The standard Prime Delivery to us is now one or two days with delivery after 1PM.
They are offering early Prime Delivery before 10 AM if we increase our order size.
I say experimenting because it does not always occur.
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@dogtamer I think it might be a reference to the “started from the bottom now we here” Drake lyric found here? But then that would imply that being on Prime is “the bottom” so maybe not… 
ETA: One recent Amazon box had “I like big BOXES and I cannot lie” printed on it 
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