Amazon launches one-hour delivery but just wait until you hear about the outrageous additional fees
The world's largest online retailer will deliver stuff to your door in one hour, but it'll cost you a bundle.
Prime members pay an additional $9.99 fee per order for one-hour delivery, while non-prime members shell out $19.99 per order.
One-hour delivery is available in major metropolitan areas like Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, as well as smaller cities Des Moines, Iowa and Boise and Idaho.
Amazon has also launched 3-hour delivery in more than 2,000 cities, towns and suburban areas.
The three-hour delivery service charges $4.99 per order for Amazon Prime members and $14.99 for non-prime members.
These new delivery options are available for a broad selection of products you'd find at your local supermarket, like everyday household essentials, health and beauty items, and over-the-counter medications.
'Our customers are busier than ever and are looking for new ways to save time while keeping their households running,' said Udit Madan, senior vice president of Worldwide Operations at Amazon.
'We saw an opportunity to use our unique operational expertise and delivery network to help make customers’ lives a little easier while unlocking even more value for Prime members,' said Mandan.
Amazon is offering more shipping options for shoppers, with prices costing more for non-Prime subscribers
The company said that reorganizing its US delivery network and integrating AI technology has helped reduce delivery times.
Amazon is also testing an ultrafast service for deliveries in 30 minutes or less, called Amazon Now. The service is already available in parts of India, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates.
Amazon first launched Prime in 2005, offering members free two-day delivery on a select number of products.
Today, Prime members have access to over 300 million items across 35 categories, and tens of millions of products are available for free same-day or next day deliveries.
There are also added perks for Prime members, including the company's extensive Prime Video category.
Subscribers can stream beloved originals like Saltburn and The Summer I Turned Pretty, as well as blockbusters that are periodically added to the library.
Amazon recently announced it would move its annual Prime Day shopping event from July to late June. Last year, Amazon expanded the event from two days to four, giving customers more time to browse.
Amazon continues to improve their delivery service, as retailers like Walmart and Target try to keep up
Rival big-box retailer Walmart offers same-day deliveries in under three hours to 95 percent of the US population - a stark difference to the 76 percent three years ago.
Walmart is also expanding its drone delivery to 150 more stores in partnership with Wing, a division of Alphabet.
The addition will bring Walmart´s drone delivery locations with Wing to 270 by 2027, the companies said.
Target, which is trying to reverse its sales slump, has been expanding faster delivery through its partnership with Shipt.
Target offers same-day delivery via Shipt to 80 percent of the U.S. population, the retailer said. Of those orders, 80 percent are delivered in three hours or less, with an annual membership coming in at $99 per year.
Target's stock price has fallen more than 50 percent over the past five years - even as the total value of Walmart has surged above $1 trillion.
'Last year's traffic trends we are not proud of, but we are seeing early momentum in the return of traffic this year,' Target CEO Michael Fiddelke said.
