Amazon Extends Grocery Delivery Service In Miami
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WYNWOOD (CBSMiami) -- South Floridians want their packages, and they want them NOW!
Or at least within the next 2 hours.
A brand new Amazon Prime Now facility opened for business Wednesday in Wynwood.
"Customers in Miami can now get ultra fast delivery of everyday essentials and we can reach most parts of Miami-Dade county," said a Prime Now Regional Leader Felipe Millon.
The hub in Miami's arts district is packed with pantry staples and fridge favorites that could be at your home or office in no time, for a price.
"We offer one-hour delivery for $7.99 and free two-hour delivery," said Amazon spokesperson Ana Rigby.
Prime Now focuses on delivering daily necessities, like toothpaste, toilet paper and groceries, and is tailored to specific markets.
The most popular products in Miami include water, sparkling water and bananas.
Those are what Prime Now calls "fast movers" and they're stored in an easily accessible part of the warehouse.
Workers navigate the space with military precision and somehow manage to find items spread throughout the 50,000 square foot warehouse in just minutes.
Here in Miami, Amazon has teamed up with Doral-based authentic specialty foods company "El Latino" to bring some Latin flavors right to your doorstep.
So, if you have a craving for queso fresco for lunch, you're in luck.
"When Amazon contacted us I was thrilled," said El Latino founder Maria Elena Ibañez. She says her company wanted to begin selling on its own website, but the technology was cost-prohibitive. The partnership with Amazon eliminated that hurdle. "To be able to deliver to everybody and two-hour delivery for free is a tremendous bargain."
For the first time in Miami, Amazon Prime Now offers chilled and frozen items.
The new location is just more proof e-commerce continues to thrive, while traditional brick and mortar retail sales have been swallowed up by the increase in online purchases.
Amazon recently announced it would buy Whole Foods for $13.7 billion in cash, a pretty penny for founder and South Florida native Jeff Bezos.
As far as your hard-earned money, Amazon says its prices are competitive with other local retailers.
"With the expanded warehouse we hope to continue to grow in south Florida and become a bigger part of the community as customers realize the value we can add by allowing them to skip the trip and focus on the things that really matter," Millon said.
While two-hour delivery is free, you still have to have a Prime Membership which runs about $99 a year.
Go here to find out if delivery options are available in your zip code.
