Amazon said on Wednesday that it's rolling out new online ordering methods for Prime members, including the ability to bundle standard orders and groceries in one same-day shipment. The company is also adding more combined Amazon / Whole Foods fulfillment centers and trialing a store where robots pack your Amazon orders while you shop for groceries. Customers there can shop "tens of thousands of grocery items" (including fresh ones) alongside regular Amazon orders for things like AirPods or Lego sets. The items will be bundled in one order and arrive together in a user-selected, same-day or overnight delivery window. The company plans to expand the combined same-day model to more areas after it tests and learns from the Phoenix trial.

Before my eyes were even open, I spoke to my smart assistant this morning: "Alexa," I asked hopefully, "what time is it?" She kindly replied, "The time is seven twenty-seven a.m." I did not need her to tell me the morning was going to be a struggle. An hour later, dropping the kids off at school, I realized their violins were left in haste by the front door. As I made the U-turn in the school parking lot, I thought to myself, "Inconceivable! I have all this technology surrounding me! How long do I have to wait for this to get easier?"