Amazon Plans Grocery Delivery Service

Very few of us are old enough to remember when the milkman clattered up and down the street, delivering milk, eggs and cheese. But it won't be long, we're told, before we'll order up our weekly groceries from the same place we get books, e-books and just about everything else – Amazon.com.

And just to be certain it hasn't missed any bets, Amazon today announced it's launching a new business-oriented email service, Amazon Simple Email Service (SES).

It's being widely reported today that Amazon is nearing completion of its internal testing of a new service dubbed Amazon Tote. Amazon employees in Seattle have reportedly been testing the new program for the last six months or so.

Reports say that Tote won't be just about groceries but will instead offer regular weekly delivery of just about anything on the Amazon site, which sells just about anything you can think of including electronics gear, clothing, children's products, household goods and automotive accessories.

In the Seattle test, items are placed on customers' doorsteps in reusable, weatherproof tote bags. Company promotional material lists "minimal packaging" and "regular delivery days" as among Tote's benefits.

Sears has been testing a similar service, called MyGofer, in the Chicago area.  It also makes home deliveries and allows customers to pick up orders at its brick-and-mortar stores.

Press reports said a notice on the Amazon Web site said the service would be "expanding soon" but the notice was abruptly removed and the company has declined further comment.

Amazon SES

Amazon said Amazon SES will be "a highly scalable and cost-effective bulk and transactional email-sending service for businesses and developers.

"Amazon SES eliminates the complexity and expense of building an in-house email solution or licensing, installing, and operating a third-party email service," the company said in a press release. "There is no long-term commitment, minimum spend or negotiation required - businesses can utilize a free usage tier, and after that, enjoy low fees for the number of emails sent plus data transfer."