USPS Ditches Same-Day Delivery Service in SF

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Chances are you didn't even know the United States Postal Service offered same-day deliveries to San Francisco. Well don't feel too out of the loop, because that pilot program will be suspended by March 1, 2014. According to the official USPS site, the Metro Post service partnered with local retailers to deliver orders placed by 2pm to customers by 8pm on the same day.The beta testing launched in early 2013, but according to eCommerce Bytes, only a total of 95 packages were delivered from the six participating retailers in the five month period (June-November 2013)—a far cry from the projected 200 packages per day.

But the number isn't particularly surprising given that the service was barely publicized and none of the participating retailers were specified on the beta site. In contrast, the service is faring much better in NYC. The discrepancy can be attributed to less competition, making it possible for USPS to secure contracts with the larger retailers. SF, on the other hand, is saturated with same-day delivery services from the likes of Google, Amazon, Walmart, and eBay, and USPS may had difficulty in signing high-volume retailers. There are plans to relaunch Metro Post in SF, but with a net loss of $9,528 from 2013's failed attempt, those plans might change.
· USPS Ends Same-Day Delivery Pilot in San Francisco [eCommerce Bytes]
· Metro Post [Official Site]
· Walmart Is Expanding Its Same-Day Delivery Fleet in SF [Racked SF]