Amazon's First 'Treasure Truck' Hits The Streets This Weekend

Amazon.com Inc AMZN has always been known for its development of cutting-edge technology. However, its latest innovation is more of a tribute to a classic neighborhood service than a new digital advancement.

Residents in the Seattle area may soon see one of Amazon’s new ‘Treasure Trucks’ cruising around their local neighborhoods. If you’re confused about exactly what a Treasure Truck is, Amazon attempted to clarify on its website: “Introducing Treasure Truck. It’s a truck…with treasure,” the description reads.

Adult ice cream truck
Amazon compares its new Treasure Trucks to the local ice cream trucks many Americans remember from their youth. According to Amazon, the excitement of the ice cream truck shouldn’t have to come to an end just because customers are now “all grown up.”

How it works
Every day, the Treasure Truck will cruise around local neighborhoods filled with an Amazon item of the day, which the company describes as an “amazing item you won’t want to miss.” Amazon customers in the Seattle area can use their Amazon Mobile Shopping app to learn about the Treasure Truck’s daily item and decide where and when to meet the truck to pick up the item.

Great deals
Amazon wants customers to know that the deals offered by the Treasure Truck are not simply overstock or surplus items, but heavily-discounted “highly desirable, limited quantity products, food and more.”

For example, the first stocked Treasure Truck will make its maiden voyage in the Seattle area on Saturday, June 27 carrying Soltice Bali stand-up inflatable paddleboards. These boards typically retail for $476.99, but the Treasure Truck will be selling them for $99.

Presumably, Amazon will be gauging the success of the Treasure Trucks in Seattle to determine if the idea is worthy of a wider launch sometime in the future.