Amazon continues to take shots at CVS, Target, Walgreens, and DoorDash. Last wee
By Liranhirschkorn · May 21, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
Amazon continues to take shots at CVS, Target, Walgreens, and DoorDash.
Last week they expanded the launch of Amazon Now: 30-minute delivery, live in dozens of U.S. cities, $3.99 for Prime members, available 24 hours a day.
To pull off 30-minute delivery, Amazon isn't using its massive warehouses they're building dark stores. 5,000–10,000 sq ft fulfillment centers hidden inside cities, close to where people live. Think of it as a stocked stockroom embedded in your neighborhood, built specifically to get a product to someone's door before they change their mind.
For the last 30 years, Amazon was mostly a planned purchase channel.
The "I need this right now" moment belonged to CVS, Target, or DoorDash.
Now Amazon is training millions of consumers to open the app instead of getting in their car. Every time someone orders Tylenol at 11pm, diapers on a Sunday morning, or a phone charger before a flight through Amazon Now, is one less trip to a store.
Amazon isn't just taking more ecommerce share. They're taking share of wallet from physical retail entirely.
Dark stores don't carry everything. They stock a curated selection of a few thousand SKUs per location, chosen algorithmically based on what actually moves in that city.
Products that make the cut get a "30-minute delivery" badge and show up at the moment of highest purchase intent.
Products that don't? Invisible in that moment. Amazon just created a two-tier marketplace.
How do you get in?
Amazon hasn't published selection criteria. But based on how their systems work here are some guesses.
* Sales velocity - If your product isn't moving volume in a city, it won't be sitting in a warehouse there. Building velocity through ads, deals, and competitive pricing in Amazon Now launch cities matters while selections are still being formed.
*In-stock rate. 30-minute delivery only works if the product is actually there. Amazon won't rely on a brand that goes out of stock regularly.
*Category fit. The first wave is groceries, household essentials, personal care, baby, pet, and electronics. Outside of those categories the opportunity is further out, but it will come.
Which brands have you already seen pop up with 30-minute delivery?