Amazon Rolls Out Treasure Truck to Bring You Discounts
Get the truck out. Amazon's latest stunt will turn you into a kid again. The online retail giant today (June 25) announced that its Treasure Truck service will start in Seattle this Saturday. The actual vehicle carries what the company describes as "highly-desirable, limited-quantity products, food and more," and brings them to different neighborhoods each day. In other words, it's an ice cream truck for adults.
The truck carries only one item each day, and to find out what this item is, you'll have to go into the Amazon Mobile Shopping app and tap Treasure Truck. For instance, the item for sale this Saturday is the Solstice Bali Stand-Up Inflatable Paddleboard Set. It will cost $99 via the Truck, which is 79 percent discount off its original retail price ($477), according to Amazon.
Say you're interested in the item of the day. You'll buy it via the app, then select a location to meet the Truck and pick up your item. If you missed your pickup, Amazon says you can use the app to find other same-day pickup locations and set up another time to meet the truck. You can also cancel your order if you're not able to go to another location.
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Amazon has not said how it intends to accommodate for traffic issues, or whether it has a money-back guarantee for ordered items that never get delivered. It's also not clear if you can just stop a Treasure Truck you see cruising around town and buy something directly off it.
In addition to being a new way of drumming up public interest, the Treasure Truck seems like a smart way for Amazon to get rid of leftover stock and increase downloads of its app.
In Seattle, the Truck will drive around popular neighborhoods such as Queen Anne, South Lake Union, Ballard, Bellevue and SODO. The company has not announced plans to advance to other cities yet, so, for now, if you're itching to check out the Treasure Truck for yourself, you'll have to visit the Emerald City.
Staff writer Cherlynn Low ended her Amazon Prime subscription to save money. Follow her @cherlynnlow. Follow Tom's Guide at @tomsguide on Facebook.
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