Same-Day Mail Delivery?

On Dec. 12, San Francisco is going to offer Metro Post, a same-day package delivery service. If it works, they’ll expand to other major cities early next year. The Associated Press reports…

Under the plan, the Postal Service is working out agreements with at least eight and as many as 10 national retail chains for same-day delivery. The mail agency says nondisclosure agreements don’t allow it to reveal the companies. But given the somewhat limited pool of large-scale retailers — they must have a physical presence in 10 or more big U.S. cities to be a postal partner — the list is expected to include department stores, sellers of general merchandise, clothiers, even perhaps a major e-commerce company or two.

Consumers will have until 2 or 3 p.m. to place an online order with a participating retailer, clicking the box that says “same-day delivery” and making the payment. Postal workers then pick up the merchandise from nearby retail stores or warehouses for delivery to homes between 4 and 8 p.m. that day. In San Francisco, the post office will closely track work hours and travel, which could quickly add to costs depending on traffic, total package volume or the proximity of merchandise in a delivery area.

Up next: Boston, Chicago, and New York.