In the case of Amazon and other large retailers, the distributor shipments are then sent to their own internal warehouse hubs where the same process happens again: books are unpacked and repacked and shipped to their individual stores and distribution centers, where they are unpacked and logged in as available. So availability at these locations can vary greatly, depending on their own internal processes.
On the other hand, books are shipped to independent bookstores and online retailers about a week prior to release date. Because the shipment is direct, these sites receive the books quickly and usually have them in stock, ready to mail out, before Amazon or most of the other large retailers.
So if you want a new book quickly, your local independent bookstore or Bella Books will get it for you the quickest.