Last-minute shoppers scrounging for presents have at least one more possible saviour this holiday season.
London Drugs is launching same-day delivery service in Metro Vancouver.
The company originally announced the service would be available at 12:01 a.m. on November 28 — or Black Friday — but London Drugs chief operating officer Clint Mahlman said same-day delivery ready to go as of Thursday (November 20).
“The timing’s right because we’ve seen customers inquire more and more about wanting shipping options,” said London Drugs chief operating officer Clint Mahlman.
“Obviously, Black Friday has become an important shopping day for Canadians and in (particular) Metro Vancouver we continue to see Canadians want alternatives to shopping across the border.”
Residents of Burnaby, New Westminster, North Vancouver, Richmond, Surrey, Vancouver and West Vancouver who order from the B.C.-based retailer’s online store before noon will receive their items before the day’s end.
The service is expected to stick around after the holiday season wraps up.
Online shoppers will have to pay $8 for the company’s standard shipping cost and an additional $6 to get the same-day service, for a total of $14.
Amazon.ca, which launched its own same-day delivery in Metro Vancouver on November 5 , charges regular users $12 a shipment plus an additional $2 per item for its service. Amazon Prime members pay a flat rate $7.
While London Drugs is based in Richmond, Amazon opened its first B.C.-based fulfillment centre in Delta in 2012.
Toronto was the only other city in which Amazon launched same-day delivery.
Whether London Drugs’ new program spreads to other regions in Canada has yet to be determined.
The service came about through a partnership with Canada Post and it will be up to the postal service to decide whether to offer same-day delivery to other cities where the retailer has a presence, according to a London Drugs spokeswoman.
