Number of minutes that serve as the maximum threshold for "instant" delivery for orders from Amazon.com in new tests using, of all things, bicycle couriers in New York City. Amazon is testing this new "mode" in the Big Apple in an effort to meet the market segment that needs delivery in one hour or less. The report says Amazon has been holding time trials using bike riders from at least three courier services to identify which is the speediest and most diligent in the bicycle-based approach. The bike service has been dubbed "Amazon Prime Now" and is operating out of the company's new building in Manhattan. This obviously opens up a new fulfillment path in addition to use of its own trucks, commercial taxis, drones and other methods the company has tested in the past year or so.

Average delay in days in getting containers into and out of the port of Los Angeles of late, according to reports this week, as factors from rising volumes to a slowdown by union members working without a contract has pushed congestion up dramatically and reduced throughput. "We look to return to Los Angeles, but ultimately, we must regard this as a liability to our customers," Jeff Katz, director of logistics and trade compliance at Sharp Electronics, said at a recent conference. The JIMLAR Footwear Division of Global Brands has nine containers with 45,000 pairs of shoes bound for a West Coast customer’s DC. The ship originally had an estimated arrival time of Nov. 26, with a cancel date of Dec. 12. The carrier pushed back the delivery date to Dec. 12. The customer said it would give JIMLAR until Dec. 15, leaving only three days to get the containers to the DC. "So if we don’t get these goods there by the 15th, we’re losing money," a company logistics exec said. It's continues to be a real mess.