Amazon announces free same-day deliveries for Fresno-area Prime members
Fresno-area Amazon Prime members are now able to have more than 1 million items delivered to their doorsteps just hours after pressing a button, according to the retailer.
The massive online retailer on Wednesday announced the addition of Fresno and 10 other metro areas throughout the United States to its free same-day delivery program. The Fresno area is now one of 27 eligible for the service.
According to Amazon, any Prime member who places an order of $35 or more before noon will receive their items by 9 p.m. the same day. Members who order in the afternoon or evening will get their shipment the following day. The service will operate seven days a week. Not all Amazon marketplace items are eligible for same-day delivery.
Amazon spokeswoman Ana Rigby said the service has the following borders in the Fresno area: Clovis and Madera to the north; Lemoore, Hanford, Tulare and Visalia to the south; Selma and Reedley to the east; and Kerman to the west.
She said that an increase in distribution centers throughout the country led to the new same-day metro areas.
Rigby said the service was available Wednesday, but several tests by Bee employees showed that it was not. As of 4:30 p.m., every Amazon shopping category listed that one-day shipping was not available in the Fresno area.
Amazon Prime is an annual membership. For $99, customers have access to the free shipping options, discounts, cloud storage and streaming services.
Previously, Fresno members only had access to the free two-day shipping option.
The other 10 metro areas added Wednesday were Charlotte, Cincinnati, Louisville, Milwaukee, Nashville, Raleigh, Richmond, Sacramento, Stockton and Tucson.
Fresno is one of six metro areas in California with access to same-day delivery, the others being Sacramento, Stockton, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego.
Rory Appleton: 559-441-6015, @RoryDoesPhonics
This story was originally published April 6, 2016 at 1:24 PM with the headline "Amazon announces free same-day deliveries for Fresno-area Prime members."