PHOENIX — When it comes to Amazon Prime and Walmart Plus, both offer same-day shipping for some of their items. But, how do they stack up against each other? Is one more reliable than the other?
Angie said she's ordered with one of the companies and said she sometimes sees delivery issues with same-day orders.
"It only happens usually when I'm requesting it that day or within the next couple hours that it screws up like that," she told ABC15's Let Joe Know Team.
We decided to put them to the test.
RELATED: Paying extra for expedited shipping, but was it worth it?
Amazon has long been known for its free, two-day shipping for Amazon Prime members and Prime products. It's $120 every year, plus the cost of whatever items you're buying.
Need something faster? You can pay an additional fee to have your items arrive within a four-hour window, often on the same day.
Walmart launched Walmart Plus last year. At $98 a year, that service also promises two-day shipping. For some items, Walmart Plus does offer same-day delivery without an additional fee.
To conduct our test, we ordered three items on different days to see when each item would be delivered.
On a recent Tuesday, we ordered diapers and paid extra for Amazon's expedited delivery. Turns out, Amazon delivered. In fact, they delivered the item 20 minutes within the four-hour time block.
While ordering diapers on Walmart Plus, Walmart indicated that they could not be delivered until the next day. It didn't specify a time either. Ultimately, they were delivered the next day around 2:30 p.m.
On Saturday morning, we ordered last-minute party supplies. We paid Amazon's fee to have the items delivered again on the same day. This time, Amazon delivered the item 90 minutes before the four-hour window began.
A comparable option wasn't available on Walmart's platform.
For our third test, we wanted to see if what happened to Angie would happen to us.
"I'm actually waiting for a phone case, I paid the $2.99 (expedited Amazon fee) because I didn't want my son to break his phone," she said. But, the case was never delivered, she said.
On Sunday afternoon, we ordered a phone case on Amazon, paid for the expedited shipping, and were promised a delivery time on Monday between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. The package arrived at 7:28 a.m.
Using Walmart Plus, we added an equivalent phone case to the order. Despite it saying the item would be available for same-day delivery, the soonest window was Monday between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Or we could have selected to pick up the item from the store, which defeats the purpose of the expedited delivery.
In our view, items ordered on Amazon arrived fast when we paid for the service.
Walmart Plus's membership doesn't allow for expedited shipping. It was also confusing because delivery times would change once items were added to the cart ahead of purchasing.
Amazon told us that delivery times depend on how close someone is to one of their fulfillment centers. So make sure to update the delivery address — even while searching for items — to get more accurate delivery projections.
Walmart did not respond to our inquiry.
However, on its website, Walmart said it does not guarantee same-day delivery and that delivery times are first-come, first served. Walmart also offers free delivery from a local store. A minimum $35 order is required and other restrictions apply, according to the Frequently Asked Question section on Walmart Plus's website.
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