It was ferried to me in a car in an individual Ziploc bag emblazoned with a picture of a parachute and a familiar logo – via Boston's newest same-day delivery service, Google Express.

Google Express is the tech giant's latest way of reaching into our lives, offering curbside drop-offs of sundries like laundry detergent, baby toys and snack food. You order what you want online or via a smartphone app. A third-party courier then runs out to the appropriate store and picks it up, wrapped in Google packaging. A few hours later, it arrives on your doorstep. The service, which offers free delivery for an annual $95 membership fee, was launched last March in San Francisco and then New York. Last week, Google announced that it was rolling out the service in Washington DC, Chicago and Boston – bringing about 19 million Americans within its reach.

Google isn't the only company rushing to deliver products in the same way as pizzas – the field of same-day deliveries has exploded in the past few years.