EcommerceBytes-NewsFlash, Number 2915 - October 17, 2012 
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US Post Office Testing Same Day Ecommerce Delivery
By David A. Utter
Metro Post, a new service from the Post Office, takes its first steps in November, as the US Postal Service enters territory currently being explored by Wal-Mart and Amazon.com in offering same day delivery. Bloomberg News said this test will begin in San Francisco, according to a Post Office representative.
Unlike those gigantic retailers, who are testing same day delivery for their own offerings, the US Post Office will offer its Metro Post service to ecommerce businesses that meet certain qualifications. As the official regulatory filing noted, "each online e-commerce company that wishes to participate in this market test must have at least ten (10) physical locations nationally, one or more of which must be within the defined metropolitan area of the market test."
The Post Office expects to try Metro Post with as many as ten ecommerce businesses during te trial. Initial limitations on the test permit same day delivery only to ten of the tester's participating locations. Further, a maximum of 200 packages per day will be permitted during the first stages of Metro Post testing.
Buyers requesting same day service should receive their purchases between 4:00 pm and 8:00 pm local time, provided they make their purchase before a daily cutoff that will be sometime between 2:00 pm and 3:00 pm.
Pricing for the service is currently a secret, and has been blacked out of the regulatory filing made by the Post Office.
About the Author
David A. Utter is a freelance writer based in Lexington, KY. Find him on LinkedIn.
About the author:
David A. Utter is a freelance writer based in Lexington, KY. He has covered technology topics from search to security to online business and has been quoted in places like ZDNet and BusinessWeek. He considers his appearance on NPR's "All Things Considered" with long-time host Robert Siegel a delightful highlight. Send your tips to media@davidautter.com and find him on Twitter @davidautter and on LinkedIn.
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