Amazon has announced that some Tampa Bay residents can now get deliveries shipped for free to their door within two hours through the online retailer's Prime Now service.
The service is offered exclusively to Amazon Prime members and is only available in select markets, which includes some areas of Tampa Bay beginning today. Orders can be shipped from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week and they will arrive within two hours at no added cost; or customers can get items delivered in an hour for an extra $7.99.
Tens of thousands of items are available for Prime Now shipping, including some grocery and perishable items. The service delivers to Tampa Bay consumers based on the ZIP code of their shipping address. Not all ZIP codes appear to be eligible, but service is available in neighborhoods in South Tampa, Brandon, St. Petersburg, downtown Tampa, New Tampa, Ybor City, Plant City and Apollo Beach.
In some other markets like Los Angeles and Chicago, Prime members can get takeout from local restaurants delivered to their door in an hour via Prime Now. It's unclear when that service will be available here.
In May, Tampa Bay was among the first areas where Seattle-based Amazon launched free same-day delivery in which Prime members who make a purchase of $35 or more by noon any day of the week will receive their order by 9 p.m.
Tampa is the second market in Florida to get the Prime Now service after Miami. About two dozen other metro areas around the country have the service.
Amazon operates two 1-million-square-foot distribution warehouses in Ruskin and Lakeland.
RELATED: Have a look inside the 1 million square foot Amazon fulfillment center in Ruskin
Amazon Prime members can download the Prime Now app on iPhone and Android devices and they will be alerted when the service is available in their ZIP code. New customers can get $10 off their first order by using the promo code: 10PRIMENOW. A Prime membership costs $99 a year and comes with additional benefits, including instant streaming of movies and television shows.
Contact Justine Griffin at jgriffin@tampabay.com. Follow @SunBizGriffin
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