Amazon has launched same-day delivery in six more major cities, making goods from baby supplies to textbooks available almost immediately for millions more shoppers.
The program, which initially launched in Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Francisco and Seattle is now also available in Baltimore, Dallas, Indianapolis, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. For an additional charge of $5.99, Amazon Prime customers can have as many items as they want delivered to their doors on the same day they're ordered. Not all Amazon items are available for delivery same day and orders must be placed before noon.
Bookstores, which have ceded ground to Amazon as it has grown to capture nearly half of the U.S. book market, have traditionally held the advantage of immediacy over Amazon: Readers can get what they want from a bookstore right away.
For new releases, Amazon has found a way to deliver the title on the day it's out to the homes of readers. For all other books, however, the company has the same delivery options available to consumers for any good.
Amazon may have found a way to erase one of the few remaining advantages left to bricks-and-mortar bookstores.
It's unclear from the Amazon release whether trade books -- that is, books widely read by the general public like fiction, nonfiction, illustrated books, etc. -- are included in the new program. The release specifically mentioned textbooks, however: "Fill-up the back pack with things like pencils, glue, text books, lunch boxes and other supplies."
Amazon has not yet replied to a request for comment.
An Amazon spokesperson has confirmed that trade books are part of the same-day delivery initiative.
