You may have heard that Google is expanding a same-day delivery service you didn't realize it had to two cities you may actually live in. And it's an idea that deserves attention, certainly. But why is Google doing this? And what does it mean for you?
1. It Only Works With Google Wallet.
First of all, sorry to rain on your parade, but Google will only offer this to people who check out of a web store using Google Wallet. Considering how popular and beloved Google Wallet is, you are likely assuming this is a way of making people actually use this service. And you'd be correct!
Wallet is something of an awkward topic at Google, so they're hoping to expand its usage. Whether it'll work is an open question, but hey, it's useful.
2. It's Limited To Certain Neighborhoods In New York And L.A.
In what will surely be a decision that launches a thousand tiresome and self-righteous thinkpieces on your Facebook Wall, currently the service is limited to a handful of neighborhoods. Specifically, in New York, you can only get same-day delivery on the island of Manhattan, while in Los Angeles, you can only get service in Culver City, Inglewood, Marina Del Rey, Santa Monica, Venice, West Los Angeles, and Westwood. True, those aren't the snootiest neighborhoods in the area, albeit they're working on adding the snootiest, Beverly Hills, 'in the coming months.'
3. It's Limited To Certain Merchants.
Another factor is that you can only get the service from certain merchants. Granted, one of those merchants is Costco, which automatically vaults Google over the wall for those of us who tend to buy drinks, macaroni and cheese, and other foodstuffs in bulk. Odds are pretty good Googlevans are scrambling all over Manhattan today as secretaries at offices put in Costco orders and fill up vending machines and the like.
Other retailers include Staples, Target, and Walgreens, so you don't really get any points for realizing that Google is aiming squarely for the corporate market, at least at first. And it's not a bad strategy, but by the same token, it does raise the question of whether us mere mortals who lack corporate accounts will be able to afford this when it finally goes paid.
4. It'll Be Coming To Your Town Sooner Rather Than Later.
The simple fact of the matter is that Amazon wants to be able to deposit anything you buy on your doorstep by the same day no matter where you are in the country, or at least in every city that can be properly classified as such. Google is not going to be left behind, especially since they've got the cash to stay current.
And expect there to be an ongoing delivery arms race as well. Amazon and Google aren't the only players here, and as they keep pushing each other further, more and more delivery services will begin appearing.
Hey, if nothing else, it means we'll never have to wait for a video game again, right?
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