Amazoncom knows you so well it wants to ship your next package before you order it. The Seattle retailer in December gained a patent for what it calls \"anticipatory shipping,\" a method to start delivering packages even before customers click \"buy.\" The technique could cut delivery time and discourage consumers from visiting physical stores. In the patent document, Amazon says delays between ordering and receiving purchases \"may dissuade customers from buying items from online merchants." So Amazon says it may box and ship prorhlcts it expects customers in a specic area 1will want based on previous orders and other factors but haven=t yet ordered. According to the patent, the packages could wait at the shippers\" hubs or on trucks until an order arrives- In deciding what to ship, Amazon said it may consider previous orders, product searches, wish lists, shopping-cart contents, returns and even hornr long an Internet user's cursor hovers over an item. Today, Amazon receives an order, then labels packages with addresses at its warehouses and loads them onto waiting UPS, USPS or other trucks, which may take them directly to customers' homes or load them onto other trucks for nal delivery