Sport Chalet joins Wal-Mart, Amazon in same-day-delivery parade

Specialty sporting goods store Sport Chalet Inc. is now offering same-day delivery service, hopping on a crowded bandwagon that includes Amazon, Wal-Mart, Google and EBay.

“Sometimes there just is not enough time for a customer to visit our stores, and this new service solves that problem,” Craig Levra, chief executive of the 53-store chain, said in a statement.

The La Cañada Flintridge-based company also does brisk business renting sports equipment to customers. And for those reluctant to haul the goods back to a Sport Chalet store themselves, the company said it will “drive to their home or office and retrieve the gear for them.”

The new program is in place in most of California as well as in the Phoenix, Las Vegas and Salt Lake City areas.

Retailers are increasingly hustling to outperform competitors in trying to pamper patrons looking for more convenience when they shop.

And start-ups such as Deliv and Postmates are angling to serve as the middleman facilitating speedy deliveries.

Another strategy gaining traction: in-store delivery drop-boxes. Companies such as Amazon and Wal-Mart are testing cubbyholes in secure retail locations, where packages can be left for pickup instead of languishing on residential doorsteps.

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Stores offer same-day delivery to compete with Amazon