Skip to main content

Tired of porch pirates? Amazon now lets you schedule your package delivery

With recent initiatives like Amazon Key, which lets delivery drivers drop off packages in your home or car trunk when you’re away, and Amazon Locker, Amazon has been making strides in making it easier, safer, and more convenient for shoppers to order what they need online. To further this mission, Amazon is now adding yet another delivery option. The company announced that subscribers to its Prime service can now schedule when a package gets delivered through a new service called Amazon Day.

With the ability to schedule when your package will arrive on your front porch, Amazon is hoping to deter the rise of porch pirates who follow delivery vehicles and steal packages left unattended outside of homes. “This new delivery innovation enables Prime members to choose a day of the week to be their delivery day, which makes it easier to get purchases grouped and delivered together and, in many cases, in fewer packages,” the company stated in a press release. “Members can also choose from Prime’s fast, free shipping options for any item they don’t want to include as part of their Amazon Day shipment.”

In addition to helping reduce theft, the online retailer claimed that Amazon Day will also help with sustainability. By being able to group shipments together and reduce packaging waste, Amazon Day is part of the company’s efforts to have 50 percent of all shipments with a net-zero carbon footprint by the year 2030.

In a support page, Amazon noted that not all shipments will qualify for Amazon Day, but if you have an eligible item, you’re able to schedule a delivery date and time after the item has been added to your cart. Again, the service is only available for Amazon Prime customers, a subscription that costs $119 annually, or $13 per month. Amazon advises customers to have a current phone number associated with their Prime account, as the courier will call with a confirmation prior to delivery.

Being able to schedule a delivery date and time will make it more convenient for users to shop online and will give Amazon Prime an edge over competing delivery services, like Shipt and Shoprunner, as well as other retailers.

Editors' Recommendations

Chuong Nguyen
Silicon Valley-based technology reporter and Giants baseball fan who splits his time between Northern California and Southern…
Got an M1 Mac? Apple will now let you repair it yourself
A person repairing a MacBook using Apple's self-service repair kit.

Apple has expanded its self-service repair program to include a new slate of desktop Macs, as spotted by Six Colors. The move has increased the number of people eligible to get hands-on and fix their Apple computers at home using official components and guides. Previously, only a handful of MacBooks qualified for the program.

The devices freshly inducted into the program include the M1 iMac, M1 Mac mini, the Mac Studio, and the Studio Display. Owners of these Macs and displays will now get access to official parts and manuals to help them fix up their products without needing to go to an Apple Store or a third-party repair shop.

Read more
Snapchat+ now lets you customize when Snaps on Stories expire
A person using Snapchat on an iPhone.

Snapchat+ subscribers have a few more new features to look forward to this week, including the ability to set different expiration dates for their Snaps on Stories.

On Thursday, Snapchat announced four new features for subscribers of its premium version of Snapchat. The most notable of the newly released features is known as "custom Story expiration." This feature allows Snapchat+ subscribers to choose from a series of expiration date options for Snaps on a Story. The options range from letting Snaps expire after one hour to letting them expire after up to one week.

Read more
Which Amazon Echo should you buy?
The Echo Dot Kids Owl and Dragon designs on a table.

If you’re a fan of Alexa’s gentle tones and like using voice commands around your home -- including setting up smart routines or enabling Alexa Guard for some extra safety while you’re away -- then you may be thinking about getting an Amazon Echo smart speaker. Or maybe you want to give an Amazon Show to a family member or friend to make it easier to communicate with them. But what should you get?

There are quite a few Amazon Echo models available, with more arriving all the time, so we know it can be confusing to figure out the latest models and which may be the right pick. Don’t worry, our guide is here to help with the best and newest Echos available, along with who they’re suited for.
Echo 4th-generation

Read more