The option is available in some US cities

Oct 16, 2009 14:23 GMT  ·  By

Online retail giant Amazon is pushing even harder at replacing brick-and-mortar stores with a new same-day delivery option in several large cities in the US. Customers will now have the option to receive their purchases on the same day they made them with a few caveats. There is an added tax to the new delivery option but having your purchase delivered to your house in a mater of hours can be a compelling argument and another reason to forgo regular stores altogether.

The new option called Local Express Delivery has seen somewhat of a limited rollout in several cities in the US, specifically New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, Baltimore, Las Vegas and Seattle and some of the surrounding areas. The service is expected to be expanded to Chicago, Indianapolis and Phoenix in the coming months. In order to benefit from the same-day delivery, users will need to buy the products before the “cut-off time” for their city, which varies from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

“We want to make online shopping as convenient as possible,” said Girish Lakshman, vice president of Transportation at Amazon. “We’re continuously working to speed up delivery times and customers receiving items on the same day as ordered is an exciting step. Now, if a customer needs a last-minute present for a birthday or wants a copy of their book club book before the weekend starts, they can order from Amazon instead of the hassle of a last-minute trip to the mall.”

Not all products are eligible for this delivery option but Amazon says thousands of items will be available. Pricing for the delivery will vary depending on the product but Amazon Prime subscribers, who pay a $79 per year fee, will get a fixed $5.99 delivery fee for any product. Along with the new delivery option, Amazon is also introducing a Saturday delivery option which will be available with the Two-Day Shipping and the Overnight options. Amazon's Saturday is available for all locations.