James B. Nelson

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

It might be easier - and faster - to get a socket wrench set from Amazon than from Sears.

The online retailer announced Wednesday that customers in Milwaukee can receive one-hour deliveries from the Amazon Prime Now service. This comes as Sears warned investors that it has "substantial doubts" about its ability to stay in business because of a cash crisis. In January, Sears said it planned to close 150 stores.

Amazon Prime Now delivery is $7.99 for one hour and free for two hours or later. The site was offering a $10 first time delivery credit code (10PRIMENOW) in the Milwaukee area Wednesday morning.

A minimum order amount of $25 is required for the service.

An Amazon press release said the Prime Now deliveries would be available for Milwaukee. It didn't state which suburbs were included, but a spokeswoman said that customers could enter their zip code in their account and see if Prime Now is available. The service is available from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.

Amazon said it was possible to use the Alexa voice service to place the orders, saying: "Alexa, order (product) from Prime Now".

On Wednesday, it was possible to schedule a delivery to Wauwatosa - including the $10 credit - for items that one might normally find at Sears, such as a socket wrench set. The items come from an Amazon fulfillment center on Miller Park Way in West Milwaukee. An order placed at about 8:30 a.m. was delivered at 10:11 a.m. A second order for delivery to Marquette University came in a little more than an hour.

Amazon operates one "small urban fulfillment center" in the Milwaukee area, said a company spokeswoman, Amanda Ip.

"There is a lot of backend technology that fuels our operation and now we’ve brought that expertise to one-hour delivery," Ip said in an email.

"In these hubs, we store tens of thousands of items and our backend systems know where items are housed. When an order is placed, an employee goes to pick the item and we then get it placed in a bag and ready for delivery. This happens very quickly—sometimes within minutes, particularly for a one-hour order," she said.

The package is assigned to a driver who heads out. Customers can track their packages as the delivery time approaches, Ip said. Customers who are not home to receive their package can receive text alerts about the status of the delivery.

(One note: for a $30 delivery, Amazon "recommended" a $5 tip. It's possible to modify that recommendation. You have 24 hours to adjust the amount.)

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Amazon Prime Now offers wine and spirits in Seattle, and beer and wine in Columbus and Cincinnati. Customers placing the orders have to present IDs when the items are delivered.

That's not the case - yet- in this market. Searching for "beer" turned up several varieties of root beer, and the strongest "red wine" available was a Pompeian Red Wine Vinegar.

"We are excited to be bringing wine, beer and spirits to select cities and will continue to expand our inventory," spokeswoman Ip said.

Ip said she could not comment about what additional products might be offered in the Milwaukee market.

"We take a look at what our customers love in each city," she said.