On Tuesday, August 12, 2014 10:49:52 AM UTC+1, Andrew May wrote:
On 12/08/2014 10:05, Peter Crosland wrote:

Amazon offer free delivery for item costing over �10. I ordered two
widgets that were shown as being in stock. If I had been willing to pay
I could have had them delivered the next day. As it was not urgent I
chose the free option. These in stock items were not despatched until
four days after ordering them. I just wonder what benefit Amazon gain
from delaying despatch. Is it because they hope you will pay extra or is
there some other reason that I have not realised? Just curious!

At a guess it has nothing to do with delivery but staff utilisation. The
staff at the Amazon warehouse will pick orders beginning with the ones
that have paid for next day delivery. When they have finished them then
if any more next day orders have come in they will go back and do those
first. Only if there are no more next day delivery orders to pick will
the pick yours.
There is probably also something in the system that prevents your order
sitting waiting for four weeks or more at times of high orders like
Christmas. Say, if your order has still not been picked after five day
then put it in the next day queue.

Robots rather than staff though.


NT