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Here’s Why People Are Saying Amazon’s Same Day Delivery Service Discriminates Against Blacks

The company responds to several complaints from minority customers.

After the recent launch of Amazon’s same day delivery service, the online retailer is now facing accusations of discrimination. There have been many customers who have complained that the company has not serviced their neighborhood, although the city they live in is offered in the same day option. What do all of their neighborhoods have in common? They are neighborhoods that are predominately Black.

As of now, Amazon offers same day delivery in 27 cities in the country, including New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Baltimore. According to a report done by Bloomberg Technology, there are significant gaps in the zip codes in the designated cities. The study showed that Black residents in the cities offered were less likely to be offered the service based on their zip code.

The Congressional Black Caucus has acquired a statement from Amazon that read:

“Very shortly, we will be expanding Prime Same Day Service to every zip code of the 27 cities where Prime Same Day delivery is currently launched. We will further not launch the service in any new regions, until we are able to secure a carrier for every zip code. We are still figuring out the details and procuring last mile delivery for each of these zips, but we should have 100 percent coverage shortly.”

Several government officials are calling for Amazon to take swift action and expand their services to many neighborhoods that were previously excluded. In addition to fixing the delivery gaps, the company has also pledged to expedite the expansion of the service to the South Side of Chicago in the coming weeks. 

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