Online Shopping Just Got Even Easier

Titan of Retail Titans/Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is continuing to forge a path to global domination — while single-handedly helping save the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) — with a little something called Sunday delivery . The company announced Monday it is planning on launching Sunday delivery at no extra charge to Amazon shoppers in L.A. and New York City this week. But fear not, America — it's also heading to the rest of the country soon (Dallas, New Orleans, and Phoenix, Bezos is lookin' at you). And he's looking just in time for the holiday season.

Amazon's new Sunday delivery is not a service you'll have to specify at the checkout, or pay extra for. Order a pair of new flats on Amazon Prime on Friday, and you'll have them in time to show off for Sunday brunch.

The move comes just in time for the holiday shopping (open) season, although Vice President of Global Operations Dave Clark says it was a "happy accident," and that the company had been planning to get Sunday services started as "soon as we were ready." Right, then. (Bezos has also added that he wants to "weave Amazon more deeply into consumers' lives.")

Although Amazon uses a variety of delivery services, including UPS and courier services, Clark said that the partnership just "happened to be a great fit" where "capability and desire matched." That's probably because the USPS is Ramen-noodles sort of poor right now — losing $6-billion-this-year poor after losing $16 billion last year.

USPS has been dealing with financial issues and grappling over a decision to cut out Saturday mail and deliveries (they didn't) over the last year. The postal service is flailing, but as consumers have retreated into the (online) Amazon jungle, the amount of packages the good people in weird blue shorts have brought us has "increased in double-digit percentages," according to USPS spokesperson Sue Brennan.

Even though other stores are experimenting with same-day deliveries — something already common in the UK with some fashion retailers — Amazon's really one-upped the competition this time by taking over an entire day. This is the first time a major retailer has done Sunday delivery on such a large scale.

But even with the additional day, the USPS won't be adding any new jobs: Instead, the company will be using a flexible schedule for its workers, which we really hope doesn't mean crazy amounts of unwanted extra hours, because then we're going to feel really guilty about that pair of new flats.

"We're ready for Sunday in the current markets," a USPS spokesperson said. "If this were to expand, we would look at staffing levels and adjust accordingly."