Retail giants push ultra-fast delivery, some offering packages within minutes

Retailers across the United States are accelerating delivery speeds to meet shopper demand for near-instant fulfillment. Target claims that 80% of households are within reach of its stores and that most same-day orders are completed in two to three hours, reflecting a 25% rise in such service year over year. Walmart disclosed that 37% of its store-fulfilled orders were delivered in under three hours last quarter, while Home Depot announced a nationwide three-hour option to augment its existing same-day program.

Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison linked free same-day delivery to a boost in online sales, and Kroger’s CFO David Kennerly highlighted that half of its grocery deliveries now occur in less than an hour. Amazon is scaling drone deliveries to about 500 U.S. cities, promising deliveries as fast as 30 minutes, though some customers, like Lindsey Austen, remain skeptical of such speed.