Amazon ended a popular delivery benefit this week.
The Amazon Today service provided same-day delivery to select local stores near customers.
Unlike traditional Prime delivery, which ships items from Amazon’s warehouse network, Today has connected customers to local retailers like Staples, Petco and SuperDry.
Shops – both independents in one city and chains with multiple locations – could register for Today.
In addition to home delivery, Amazon Today offers customers the option to order and pick up items directly from physical stores.
Prime members enjoyed the service for free on orders over $25, with a $2.99 fee for smaller purchases.
For non-Prime customers, costs vary by retailer.
Amazon is closed today to most retail partners on December 2, with limited access through January 24 at select stores. Bosses had quietly announced the shutdown of Amazon Today in October,
A company spokesperson told DailyMail.com that the service is facing problems due to ‘overlap’ with other delivery services.
Amazon is scrapping its same-day delivery service for Prime subscribers early next year
“This will streamline our offering to customers, and the majority of the selection our customers purchase from Amazon Today will remain available for same-day or same-day delivery,” the spokesperson told DailyMail.com.
However, cuts in services will also have consequences for employees who either lose their jobs or are transferred internally to other positions within the company.
The change has upset some Prime members, with some saying they plan to cancel memberships that cost $14.99 per month or $139 per year.
“They don’t even seem to be trying anymore,” said another on Reddit.
But someone joked that it would help them cut back on impulse purchases.
“Annoying, but I’ll probably make fewer spontaneous purchases, so probably a good thing in the long run,” they wrote.
It comes after the company boasted about its record delivery speeds.
“So far this year, our delivery speed for Prime customers is faster than ever before, with more than 5 billion units arriving same-day or next-day,” CEO Andy Jassy said during a recent earnings call.
The axing of Amazon Today has upset some Prime members, with some saying they plan to cancel memberships that cost $14.99 a month or $139 a year.
The new Amazon logo has replaced the blue tape with light and dark green stripes
“With more optimal inbound inventory placement, we expect to enable faster speeds, consolidate more orders into one box, and reduce inventory transfers once items reach a fulfillment center,” Jassy told investors.
The removal of the perk also comes after Amazon confused its loyal customers with an unannounced change to the shopping app’s logo.
The familiar cardboard colored box logo with a black arrow has undergone a subtle change in the latest update to the app.
The small square, which symbolizes the tape that closes Amazon packages, has changed from the familiar light blue to dark and light green stripes.
While drugstores in the US are struggling, Amazon has plans for 20 new pharmacies next year.
It contrasts with Walgreens, which said earlier this month it would close 1,200 stores over the next three years.