Just when we were going to have to get used to the United States Postal Service (USPS) shutting down their mail delivery on Saturdays, they step up for the holidays and go beyond our wildest dreams. Deliveries on Saturday AND Sunday, what a surprise!
Congress did shut down the USPS plea’s to stop Saturday mail service, so that was shelved anyway but to include Sunday is a real crowd pleaser. Especially in the mad Christmas rush, and with Industry Statistics claiming an estimated 65 percent of holiday shoppers buying online, it couldn’t have come at a better time.
After our November 11th holiday the unlikely pair who joined forces, the USPS and Amazon have begun the Sunday delivery program for those who order packages from Amazon Prime.
Amazon Prime service runs about $80 per year, but it offers free 2-day shipping, unlike regular members who get free ground shipping, which usually takes 3 to 5 days.
“For Prime members, it’s free, for non-Prime members, it’s like any other delivery day of the week,” said Dave Clark, vice president of worldwide operations and customer service at Amazon. In other words, it won’t cost extra for Sunday deliveries.
Apparently Amazon has been hot on the idea of Sunday delivery for years, but don’t get all warm and fuzzy, yet. There are some restrictions in place; not all items are available for Sunday delivery, and they are only delivering to New York City area and the Los Angeles area. So, if you live anywhere else, hold on, it’s coming.
Amazon say’s they plan on expanding their Sunday service to other large metropolitan areas such as Dallas, Phoenix, Houston and many others in 2014.
The USPS who was struggling financially is getting a huge boost from this arrangement. Their intention when canceling Saturday delivery was to cut costs, as Fox News stated, the agency lost 5.1 Billion in 2011 and more the year before, prompting the shut down of low-volume post offices and selling hundreds of properties. Many a small town have seen their Post Offices closed, or hours cut dramatically.
The financial terms of this union has not been revealed, but the U.S. agency is sure to get some much needed financial support from this partnership, and Amazon? Shares of Amazon.com Inc. climbed from $1.69 to $52 in morning trading.
For New Yorkers and Angelenos it’s definitely a plus, but for Amazon and USPS, it’s a huge financial win-win.