Online retailer Amazon has added Orlando to its “Prime Now” shipping program that delivers customers goods in as little as an hour. The Prime Now program went live Tuesday morning and lets “Prime” subscription customers receive an order in one-hour for $7.99 or two-hour delivery for free, a statement from the company said.
The program is available on shipments over $20 and good anytime from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Sunday.
For now it is only available to Orange County zip codes and a few areas in Osceola County, soon to be moving close to your vacation villa in Florida. But it doesn’t serve some areas on the edges of those area. However, when Amazon launched its same-day shipping program here last fall, it started with a similar footprint and expanded out in the following weeks. “As time goes by we will be expanding to additional zip codes,” said Amazon spokeswoman Nina Lindsey.
Seattle-based Amazon has posted thousands of items such as fresh and frozen groceries, electronics and household goods. It even has tools, board games, toys and office supplies.
The variety and quantity of goods will be refined over time and could grow with popularity, Lindsey said.
Amazon is now using delivery drivers from its own team and is contracting with other delivery services, Lindsey said. Amazon would not disclose how many jobs the program will create in the area, she said.
In some markets Amazon has launched an app-based contract driver service called Flex, but that isn’t being used here yet.
Amazon does add a suggested tip amount on orders, usually about $5. That amount can be edited during online checkout.
Amazon does much of its shipping through two fulfillment centers in Lakeland and Ruskin, as well as a smaller facility in Davenport.
Amazon also recently opened a new Amazon Prime Now hub in south Orlando, Lindsey said. She would not disclose an exact location, but city documents show Amazon leased about 100,000 square feet of space in an industrial park near Sand Lake Road and John Young Parkway.
Amazon’s prime subscription program costs $99 a year or $10.99 a month and gives customers free two-day shipping on many products as well as access to online services.
Source: Orlando Sentinel