UNITED STATES – The U.S. Postal Service wants to expand its daily grocery delivery service across the country.  This expansion would build off of the test program that the USPS is currently running with AmazonFresh in San Francisco.

The Washington Post reports that the Postal Service sent in a proposal for the expansion to the Postal Regulatory Commission on Tuesday of last week, seeking approval from the panel.  In the proposal, the agency says that it wants to begin testing on October 24. The test process would last up to two years, and the USPS could choose to make it permanent anytime in that timeframe.

The USPS wants to work with retail partners to deliver “groceries and other prepackaged goods” to homes between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m., with participating grocery stores dropping off orders at post offices between 1:30 a.m. and 2:30 a.m.

“Ultimately, the Postal Service expects this will generate more package deliveries that do not currently move within the postal system,” the agency said in its proposal. “Grocery deliveries are expanding across the nation, with several different types of companies beginning to offer this service in recent months.”

The agency says in its proposal that it wants to develop “a long-term, scalable solution to enable expansion of customized delivery to additional major metropolitan markets across the nation.”

The Wall Street Journal reports that the USPS expects the test to bring in more than $10 million a year.  

Postal Regulatory Commission spokeswoman Gail Adams told the Wall Street Journal that the three-member panel will rule on the USPS request after seeking public comment.

If the panel rules that the USPS can expand this program, it will be very interesting to see what effect this could have on the future of grocery delivery. Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we continue to monitor this proposal.