Skip to footer

Macy's tops Amazon with same-day delivery in 17 cities

Macy's now offers same-day delivery to customers in 17 markets, whereas Amazon's same-day delivery service, which was launched in 2009, only recently expanded to 14 cities nationwide.

|
Mark Lennihan/AP/File
The Macy's logo is illuminated on the front of the department store in New York.

Macy's trumped Amazon last week by expanding its same-day delivery service to nine new cities. The company now offers same-day delivery to customers in 17 markets, whereas Amazon's same-day delivery service, which was launched in 2009, only recently expanded to 14 cities nationwide.

Macy's, which is the country's largest department store, ran a pilot of its program last fall in eight markets. The service was a success and as a result the company is expanding its reach. Most locations will also offer same-day delivery to Bloomingdale's customers.

Where is Same-Day Delivery Offered?

In total, Macy's will deliver to Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, New York/Western Long Island, Orange County (CA), Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Seattle, San Francisco, the greater San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and Northern New Jersey.

By comparison, Amazon offers its expedited delivery to only 14 cities including Seattle/Tacoma, San Francisco/Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Indianapolis, Tampa Bay Area, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, New York City, Philadelphia, and Boston.

What Does it Cost?

Same-day deliveries from Macy's will cost a flat $5 above standard ground shipping fees.

Conversely, the cost of same-day delivery at Amazon depends on your membership and order size; it's currently free for Prime members as long as their order qualifies (not all items are eligible) and is $35 or more. Orders under $35 will cost $5.99. Pricing for non-Prime members starts at $9.98.

Bloomingdale's is Also Included

Powering Macy's recent expansion is start-up company, Deliv, an Uber-like crowdsourced delivery company. In certain markets, namely Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and the Bay Area, Deliv will also pickup and return Macy's or Bloomingdale's purchases that customers make online.

The Same-Day Playing Field: As eBay Exits, Walmart & Target Remain

The race to offer same-day delivery is cut-throat in the retailer world. In 2012, Walmart began testing same-day delivery in select cities. Earlier this spring the retailer also announced anunlimited shipping program that for half the price of Amazon Prime grants its customers free 3-day or less shipping. For a flat $10, Target also offers its same-day delivery service, which it calls Rush Delivery, in Boston, Miami, and Minneapolis.

Where many of these retailers trump Amazon is in the number of physical locations they have at their disposal. Macy's, for instance, has nearly 900 stores in the U.S., which potentially means deliveries have less mileage to travel. Amazon, on the other hand, only has 50 fulfillment centers and smaller distribution facilities.

However, success isn't always guaranteed. Last week eBay terminated its same-day delivery service, eBay Now. So only time will tell which retailer will become king of same-day deliveries.

Have you used same-day shipping before? If so, what's the most you're willing to pay for the convenience? Let us know in the comments below.

This article first appeared in DealNews. 

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.
editor@csmonitor.com
Subscribe
Mark Sappenfield
Editor

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

Subscribe to insightful journalism

QR Code to Macy's tops Amazon with same-day delivery in 17 cities
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Saving-Money/2015/0812/Macy-s-tops-Amazon-with-same-day-delivery-in-17-cities
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe