Finish of the street for Treasure Truck: Amazon stops offers program, which went on-line throughout pandemic

Amazon is officially parking its “Treasure Truck” deals program, putting an end to an initiative that first got rolling in 2016 with in-person pickups from quirky vehicles in various cities.

Amazon grew the truck fleet to more than 100 vehicles across 29 U.S. cities by 2019. But in August 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the company to switch to shipping Treasure Truck purchases directly to customers.

That version of the program continued until Tuesday, when Amazon said that a $19.99 offering for a “Funko Schitt’s Creek Party Game” would be its last daily deal under the Treasure Truck banner.

Customers were alerted to such deals via text message and during the heyday of the traveling trucks, they could reserve an item through Amazon’s mobile app and then go to a location to grab their purchase. Once the truck’s supply was exhausted, the deal was done.

But without the truck-chasing aspect, the program became redundant to Amazon’s other ways of promoting daily deals.

“Treasure Truck was a unique way to bring customers exciting deals directly to their neighborhood,” Amazon spokesperson Betsy Harden told GeekWire. “In 2020, we moved those deals online and the feedback from customers was great. We’ll continue to offer customers new deals every day on Amazon.com.”

Axios first reported the news Tuesday.

On the FAQ page for the program, Amazon says it does not intend to get rid of the trucks.

“You may spot our fantastic fleet rolling through cities lending a helping hand (or wheel) to support local communities. We’ve helped deliver tens of thousands of lunch kits, thousands of student laptops and books, and are now assisting with the distribution of millions of masks in our hometown,” the company said.

GeekWire first spotted the Treasure Truck in Seattle in June 2016. The first official deal was an inflatable paddleboard for $99 — 79% off the regular price of $476.99. 

“We really wanted to invent a brand new way for customers to shop Amazon. A really fun new way for them to interact with us,” an Amazon exec said at the time.

Over the years the trucks made news for a variety of reasons:

• In July 2016, Amazon tapped into its book-selling roots and drew a huge crowd with a midnight release of a new Harry Potter book via the truck.
• Former Seattle Seahawks star Marshawn Lynch got behind the wheel of a truck in December 2016 and then signed autographs and sold a Beast Mode-skinned Amazon Echo.
• In 2017, Amazon won a design patent for the flashy vehicles.
• The Treasure Truck made a 17-hour, 1,116-mile trek from Seattle to Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2017.

According to Amazon, as of 2019, the top-selling cities for the truck deals were Seattle, Los Angeles and Phoenix. The most frequent customers, who often shopped the truck more than once per week, were in Chicago, San Antonio, Texas, and Sacramento, Calif.

The fastest-selling offers, snagged in minutes, were Valentine’s Day bouquets and chocolate, Sony TVs and smart notebooks.

Amazon said that employees who supported the Treasure Truck program will be moved into other roles within the company.