Amazon rolls out new perk for Prime members in select cities
(File: Getty)
(NEXSTAR) – After years of competing with malls, Amazon is now partnering with several of the shopping center mainstays as part of a new delivery perk for Prime members in select cities.
The retail behemoth announced Monday that Prime members can now take advantage of same-day delivery from mall brands GNC, Diesel, PacSun and Superdry, with Sur La Table and 100% Pure coming soon.
Prime members living in select ZIP codes in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Washington can take advantage of same-day shipping or in-store pickup, if they prefer.
There is a catch, however – there order must be a minimum of $25 to qualify for free shipping. If you’re short of the threshold you’ll have to pay an additional $2.99.
Saving shoppers a trip to the mall isn’t unprecedented, however, as Sephora and delivery service Instacart have teamed up to make same-day deliveries. Grocery stores have also started to cater to busy, crowd-weary shoppers with at home deliveries.
“The expansion of Amazon’s Same-Day Delivery to include beloved brands delivered directly from nearby retail locations is just another way we are offering customers even greater selection, at faster speeds,” said Sarah Mathew, director of Amazon Delivery Experience. “We are excited to see this new model come to life and look forward to adding more brands, stores, and locations to the program.”
What once appeared to be head-to-head competition between an online sales powerhouse and traditional retail has become increasingly complex.
In January, Amazon announced plans to open a physical clothing store inside a Southern California mall later in the year. Part of the allure, according to Amazon, would be algorithms designed to give shoppers real-time recommendations.
To see if you qualify for free, same-day shipping, see a list of participating locations here.