Instant gratification has arrived in Southern California.

Parts of the Inland region and Orange County are among 14 metro areas where Amazon debuted its new same-day delivery program Thursday.

Those metropolitan areas, which include Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco, cover more than 500 cities and towns, according to Amazon.

Scores of packages are likely speeding out of Amazon fulfillment centers in Moreno Valley, San Bernardino and Redlands. The Inland area is home to three of the company’s five such centers in the state.

The service is available for Prime loyalty club members with free delivery on orders over $35. Orders below $35 are charged a $5.99 delivery fee.

Amazon says more than 1 million items from 40 product categories – including books, electronics and vacation gear – will arrive the same day, seven days a week.

Orders must be placed by noon to be delivered by 9 p.m.

Redlands resident Kimberly Lott was surprised to find a package of dog treats waiting on her doorstep by 6:30 p.m. She made the order at 7:30 a.m. that morning a day before the expanded program officially launched.

“It was a pleasant surprise to get it early,” said Lott, who assumed her address near an Amazon fulfillment center in Redlands probably helped.

The Amazon Prime member said she’s looking forward to more same-day deliveries.

“I use Amazon all the time if I can,” Lott said. “So this just makes it even better.”

Julie Law, an Amazon spokeswoman, wrote in an email that the company is working with a variety of delivery partners, but did not specify which ones.

Customers can see if their area is eligible for same-day service by entering their ZIP code on Amazon’s website.

The Inland fulfillment centers range from 700,000 to 1.2 million square feet. Within the buildings employees sort and pack goods for shipping.

Parts of the cities with centers – Moreno Valley, Redlands and San Bernardino – along with neighboring ones such as Riverside, are among those eligible. Still, not every ZIP code in them qualifies for the quick deliveries.

Same-day delivery factors include include distance from the nearest fulfillment center, local demand, number of or concentration of Prime members in a ZIP code and the ability of carriers in the area.

“We will continue expanding our delivery capabilities and adding more ZIP codes rapidly,” Law said.

Shawna Ridenour, a Moreno Valley resident and Amazon Prime member, placed an order Thursday morning. But she was disappointed to learn it didn’t qualify for same-day delivery.

“I would have totally been beyond excited to receive my items today,” she wrote in an email.

In general, Amazon has been expanding its Prime program’s offerings in an effort to grow membership. It has used services such as grocery delivery, one-hour delivery in some cities, beefed up video streaming and creation of a Bluetooth speaker called the Echo that syncs with Prime music.

On Tuesday, Amazon announced it would hire 6,000 full-time workers for its more than 50 distribution centers across the country.

“We’ll continue to make it faster and continue to look at different alternatives to give customers maximum flexibility,” said Greg Greeley, vice president of Amazon Prime.

The Inland region has become a hub for the logistics industry, accounting for $300 billion worth of the economy in Riverside and San Bernardino counties as well as more than 120,000 jobs.

NAIOP, a commercial real estate development association, reported last year that the Inland area has more than 400 million square feet of logistics and will add an additional 77 million through 2018.

Cities such as San Bernardino and Moreno Valley have welcomed logistics as a growing source of new jobs for residents, but some projects have also proved controversial, with some residents concerned about air pollution and traffic.

The Associated Press

contributed to this report.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9558 or ighori@pe.com