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Pickup Your Amazon Purchase Instantly

In case you felt Amazon wasn’t doing enough to make your life easier, now comes Amazon “Instant Pickup.” Basically, it’s a brick and mortar Amazon location, like this one in Westwood near UCLA, where you can pick-up specific items in 2 minutes. Yes, 2 minutes.

How do they do it? Well, basically, the location has the items in stock like a 7-11 and there are people there that will put it in a locker for you to pickup. To use, open your Amazon app, then:

  1. Tap on the menu button
  2. Tap on Programs and Features
  3. Tap on Instant Pickup.

Next, you will get a notification that your item is ready for pickup. Then go to the location and tell the app you are there. The app will generate a bar code and a locker “area.” See below:

Now go to the scanner that is in the area (1-4) that is shown in the app and scan your bar code as shown below. The locker will open automatically.

Finally, go to the locker and pickup your package. I peeked into the open locker and I could see shelves full of what looked like a 7-11 back room. I didn’t see any robots working back there. Yet.

You can also have your regular non-instant Amazon stuff sent to these lockers as well. For some reason, some things on Amazon cannot be sent here. I’m not sure if it’s a size issue or package origination issue. Regardless, most Amazon items can be sent here for free and it’s a lot safer than having your package left on your front yard where anybody can come and steal it.

I’ve used this service many times with zero problems. The only downside is they close at 9pm even though all I want to do is pickup my package. Parking is a bitch in Westwood so I wish I could go there at 2am. But I’ll have to wait for the robots that will keep this place open 24/7.