• From Engadget:
"If you live in Atlanta, Georgia or Franklin, Tennessee, your next Amazon order might arrive in one of the company’s Scout delivery robots. Amazon began testing its cooler-sized delivery bots in Snohomish County, Washington last year. They’ve been making deliveries in the Irvine area of California, and this week they popped up in Atlanta and Franklin.
"Only a handful of Amazon Scout devices will operate in each city. They’ll be accompanied by a human, travel at walking speed and make deliveries Monday through Friday, during daylight hours. Customers will place their Amazon orders as usual, and there won’t be any additional cost for Scout deliveries."
The story goes on: "Amazon says the battery-powered bots fit into its goal of reaching net zero carbon by 2040 and that it will partner with schools in Atlanta and Franklin to support STEM and robotics activities. The company has corporate offices and logistics facilities in both areas. It's that kind of far-reaching footprint that could give Amazon an advantage over competitors like Postmates and Alibaba, which are also working on delivery robots."
• From USA Today:
"Weeks after Target launched fresh and frozen grocery pickup in the Midwest, the same-day service is now available in more than 1,000 stores in 47 states.
"The Minneapolis-based retailer said Tuesday the program offering in-store and Drive Up curbside pickup of produce, dairy, meat and frozen products has quickly expanded to nearly 70% of the way to Target's goal of 1,500 locations by the holidays … Target says orders are usually ready for pickup within a few hours, and there's no minimum order required for free pickup or membership fees."
The story goes on: "The program was piloted in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, and Kansas City markets and in late June arrived in 400 select stores in 10 states by the end of June, including Illinois, Ohio, Colorado, Utah, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky and Kansas … The newest stores adding same-day pickup services are located in Washington D.C. and the following states: Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Mississippi, Maine, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia."
