Amazon to offer same day delivery in Toronto

Buying things from Amazon just got even more difficult to resist, with the announcement that the company will offer same day shipping to both Toronto and Vancouver. About a million products that the company carries -- ranging from books to electronics -- will be offered as part of the program, which promises that items ordered before noon on a given day will arrive at one's address by 9pm. That'll come in handy for those of us with a penchant online shopping and last minute gifts, a combination that was previously not so hot.

There are some exclusions, of course. You can check the Amazon site for which postal codes are eligible for the service. And, naturally, there's a significant cost associated with these rush deliveries. Same delivery is slated to come in at $11.99 per shipment, plus an additional $1.99 per item purchased. That could add up, depending on what you're buying.

As much as late gift-givers will likely welcome this news, one suspects Toronto's remaining independent bookstores won't exactly be thrilled. And, given that the service isn't limited to books, other local shops might feel the pinch. What do you think? Will this make life even more difficult for Toronto's independent retailers?

by Derek Flack via blogTO