From an e-mail I just received:

"Please approve this delay so that we can continue processing your order."

It actually makes sense. An item I ordered from Amazon must be out of stock, and rather than simply stringing me along, they are telling me it is delayed and giving me the option to bail out of this purchase.

Despite sub-optimal phrasing--I'd rather not be perceived as approving the delay per se--this is very good service. I'm still wondering how Amazon makes money, though--this vacuum is something like 40% off the regular price with free shipping.