Putting Same-Day Delivery Services To The Test

(CBS) -- We're all in a hurry - especially this time of the year. So what if you could do all of your shopping, never leave home and get the goods before you go to bed?

More companies are offering same day delivery - but do you get what's promised? Erin Kennedy checked out a few of them.

Groceries, bedding, a mechanic even small businesses are now partnering with Uber to meet the convenience demands of their customers.

"We're now able to fill like 8 a.m. deliveries or specific 30 minute time blocks," said Joseph Dickstein, co-founder of Flowers For Dreams.

"There's a customer expectation around speed and being able to get things at the tap of a button," Paolo Lorenzoni, general manager for UberEVERYTHING in Chicago.

Lindsey Friesen uses Instacart.

"They have so many grocery stores to pick from," she said. "You can make replacements in real time."

The order goes to a shopper like Alexandra Chaas.

Erin Kennedy asked Chaas how long is a typical grocery trip for? Chaas said

"I could usually get this order done in about 10 minutes," Chaas said, as she filled the 16-item order.
And, within two hours Friesen is restocking her fridge.

"It does make my life easier," she said.

Macy's is expanding its same day delivery service to four stores in the Chicago area.

Kennedy asked Ryan Chapman, Macy's State Street Men's Department manager, "Have you noticed an increase in people taking advantage of that service?"

Chapman answered "Absolutely. We can actually go out to the floor, scan the item, pick it and put it into the processing room where it then goes out to the customer."

Lorna Gladstone, who had never used a same delivery service before, helped us check out Macy's as well as Amazon Prime Now, Google Express and Instacart.

She ordered 12 items from Whole Foods through Instacart for delivery within two hours.

Within minutes she got a text: One item was out of stock. She approved removing it and 50 minutes after she placed the order, it arrived.

"It was very fast," Gladstone said. "It was correct."

Next up, two toys ordered from Amazon Prime Now for delivery within one hour. 20 minutes later, the bag arrived.

"Everything was perfect," Gladstone said. "Everything was easy."

Through Google Express, Gladstone ordered a blanket for delivery between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. that night. It arrived shortly after 7 p.m.

"I got a message from them saying that they'd come," Gladstone said.

But, with Macy's Gladstone had a few problems.

After spending about three hours over two days none of the items she tried to purchase could be delivered to her the same day.

Gladstone was frustrated with the ordering process and with the online and over-the-phone help.
"I would never ever use them or recommend them for this purpose," she said.

Delivery fees can range from $5 to $15 depending on the service. A surcharge is added for some of the Instacart stores and tips are sometimes recommended.

Macy's released a statement saying: "Thank you for sharing this customer's experience when using Macy's same day delivery service. Our top priority and concern is not to disappoint the customer. This service is new and we have found that the execution is a dynamic process. For instance, merchandise selection approved for same day delivery is adjusted daily based on the local store's current stock threshold or some items may be disqualified due to the difficulty in transporting from the store to home in one piece such as wine glasses in this case. The bottom line is that we work hard to deliver what we promise to our customers, so we are cautious about what we promise. We appreciate the feedback as we are always looking to improve the process of such a new service."

For more information on Google Express, visit www.google.com/express.

For more information on Amazon Prime Now, click here.

For more information on Instacart, visit www.instacart.com.

For more information on Macy's same-day delivery, click here.

For more information on Flowers for Dreams, visit www.flowersfordreams.com.

For more information on Otobots, visit www.otobots.com.

For more information on UberRUSH, click here.