Amazon Launches Grocery Pickup at Select Whole Food Stores Using 'Prime Now' Mobile App

[MacRumors]

After first launching direct grocery delivery from Whole Foods to its customers' doors earlier this year, Amazon today has begun a rollout of curbside grocery pickup at Whole Foods locations in Sacramento and Virginia Beach. At supported stores, grocery pickup will be available from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time.

The company explains that Prime members can now download the "Prime Now" app for iOS and Android, shop for items like fresh produce, bakery products, dairy, meat, seafood, floral, and everyday staples, and choose the pickup option at checkout. For orders over $35, customers can choose free pickup in as little as an hour, or pay $4.99 to get it in 30 minutes.

When arriving at a Whole Foods store, the supported locations will now have reserved pickup spots designated for curbside pickup customers. After parking, a Prime Now shopper will arrive and place the groceries in the customer's car "within minutes," and if customers tell the store that they are on their way in the Prime Now app, "groceries will be ready as they arrive."

"Pickup from Whole Foods Market is a perfect option for customers who want to grab healthy and organic groceries at their convenience, all without leaving their car," said Stephenie Landry, Worldwide Vice President of Prime Now, AmazonFresh and Amazon Restaurants. "A customer can order at 5:00 p.m., pick up at 5:30 p.m., and we'll have their groceries loaded into their car just minutes after arrival. For an even faster experience, customers can tell us they are on their way using the Prime Now app and groceries will be ready as they arrive."

Outside of the new grocery pickup feature, Amazon's Prime Now iOS app [Direct Link] offers customers the ability to shop from Whole Foods and other local stores to get their items delivered to their door. In select cities, the app also allows for food delivery from restaurants like Red Lobster, P.F. Chang's, and Applebee's.

Amazon is continuously introducing exclusive features for Prime members into Whole Foods, following its acquisition of the grocery store chain in June 2017. Prime members shopping in the store now have the chance to save on exclusive "Prime member deals" and an extra 10 percent off certain designated items. Members can also opt to ship Amazon orders to delivery lockers located at select Whole Foods stores, and return Amazon orders there as well.

The new feature from Amazon launches in the wake of similar curbside pickup services gaining popularity at retailers like Target, Walmart, and Sam's Club. These stores let customers shop in their respective mobile apps, choose curbside pickup during checkout, and then drive up to the location and wait for a team member to load the groceries into their car, saving time and money on delivery fees.

Amazon says that grocery pickup will be expanding to more cities throughout 2018, and those in Sacramento and Virginia Beach can download the Prime Now app today to start trying out the new service.

Article Link: Amazon Launches Grocery Pickup at Select Whole Food Stores Using 'Prime Now' Mobile App

 

[Aston441]

At this point Amazon owns me and I like it.

Apple had every opportunity to own me. I WANTED to be owned by Apple.

They didn't want me.

They want hip hop loving mindless drones who buy lots of subscription services.

That's not me.

 

[gnipgnop]

The benefits for Prime members at Whole Foods are underwhelming. I remember when Amazon originally made the acquisition and everyone was thinking that it was suddenly going to be transformed into a bargain store. Nope! The prices haven't changed much at all, and the "extra 10%" on sale items can be easily manipulated by Amazon so that the actual savings over the course of a year are negligible.

 

[rodgersmc]

At this point Amazon owns me and I like it.

Apple had every opportunity to own me. I WANTED to be owned by Apple.

They didn't want me.

They want hip hop loving mindless drones who buy lots of subscription services.

That's not me.

Hip Hop Loving Drones

 

[ThrowawayBro]

At this point Amazon owns me and I like it.

Apple had every opportunity to own me. I WANTED to be owned by Apple.

They didn't want me.

They want hip hop loving mindless drones who buy lots of subscription services.

That's not me.

What services exactly does Amazon provide you with that Apple failed to?

This article is about food distribution. To my knowledge, this was never an industry that Apple competed with.

 

[barkomatic]

The benefits for Prime members at Whole Foods are underwhelming. I remember when Amazon originally made the acquisition and everyone was thinking that it was suddenly going to be transformed into a bargain store. Nope! The prices haven't changed much at all, and the "extra 10%" on sale items can be easily manipulated by Amazon so that the actual savings over the course of a year are negligible.

It depends upon the item. For example, the same brand of orange juice as my local Whole Foods is now a few dollars cheaper than it is at the regular grocery stores in the area. Meat is very expensive compared to a place like Trader Joe's unless its on sale.

I think Amazon eventually wants to combine grocery delivery with dry goods. You'll get your new tablet in the same package as your fish fillets.

 

[itguy06]

Even less of a reason to use Amazon now. Not that I do much - there are better and cheaper places to buy stuff.

Never got the appeal of Amazon - they are nothing special and have not been anything special since they started.

 

[gnipgnop]

It depends upon the item. For example, the same brand of orange juice as my local Whole Foods is now a few dollars cheaper than it is at the regular grocery stores in the area.

Amazon did make a few targeted changes to prices on certain staples, but it's very limited. 99% of what you find in the store is the same price as before the acquisition. Whole Foods was losing money consistently prior to Amazon's purchase, so I think people were overly optimistic on what price changes could be made.

 

[cocky jeremy]

How do I find if our local Whole Foods is apart of this? I would assume it is. We have Prime Now and restaurant delivery.

 

[dontwalkhand]

So the same as Walmart pickup, got it. Amazon tries to tell us they’re innovative, this idea was lifted right from Walmart.

 

[SegPip]

How do I find if our local Whole Foods is apart of this? I would assume it is. We have Prime Now and restaurant delivery.

Well, you're not in Sacramento or Virginia Beach, so not at this time.

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

At this point Amazon owns me and I like it.

Apple had every opportunity to own me. I WANTED to be owned by Apple.

They didn't want me.

They want hip hop loving mindless drones who buy lots of subscription services.

That's not me.

Doesn't sound like being a mindless Amazon drone is any better. Wanting to be owned by any one company doesn't sound impressive. Sounds like giving in wholly to consumerism and buying whatever they're willing to shovel down your throat.

 

[dannyyankou]

As convenient as this sounds, I prefer picking out my food instead of someone picking it out for me.

 

[neliason]

The other day I noticed Honey Nut Cheerios at a Whole Foods. The box proudly proclaims it is made with GMO. I guess this is part of the Amazon change? If so I don’t get it. I can go to Trader Joe’s and be assured they have no GMO ingredients or HFCS. In fact for me Trader Joe’s is the only grocery store where I don’t feel a need to examine every label.

The benefits for Prime members at Whole Foods are underwhelming. I remember when Amazon originally made the acquisition and everyone was thinking that it was suddenly going to be transformed into a bargain store. Nope! The prices haven't changed much at all, and the "extra 10%" on sale items can be easily manipulated by Amazon so that the actual savings over the course of a year are negligible.

Sales and member discounts are always about raising the prices so you can selectively lower them and make people think they are saving money.

 

[pipis2010]

At this point Amazon owns me and I like it.

Apple had every opportunity to own me. I WANTED to be owned by Apple.

They didn't want me.

They want hip hop loving mindless drones who buy lots of subscription services.

That's not me.

Amazon and Apple are two completely different entities with regards to their BU’s - sure they both have the tech units, which compete with each other, but Amazon has a more diversified portfolio of products/services and industries than Apple. So, this move makes more sense to Amazon than Apple.

 

[4jasontv]

Say hello to my little produce.

I don’t trust any grocery store service to dig through their products and find the best available options. In fact, I expect the opposite. I assume they give me the ripest, most visually unappealing selections so that those who go into the store see nothing but the best.

 

[44267547]

In addition, I think this is also great for those who may have handicapp disabilities where they have exactly what they need delivered straight to their vehicle. I personally like to venture and choose my _own_ produce, ect, but I see the convenience side, its amazing what we control from our smart phones today to make ease of use for the consumer.

 

[Scottsoapbox]

The benefits for Prime members at Whole Foods are underwhelming. I remember when Amazon originally made the acquisition and everyone was thinking that it was suddenly going to be transformed into a bargain store. Nope! The prices haven't changed much at all, and the "extra 10%" on sale items can be easily manipulated by Amazon so that the actual savings over the course of a year are negligible.

Yes, your $99/yr should include free shipping, movies, TV shows AND hundreds of dollars off groceries a year too.

 

[MacTiki]

Started shopping at Whole Foods not too long ago (2014).

The selection and availability of items has severely decreased since being purchased by Amazon.

Shelves often have bare spots.

While at Whole Foods yesterday I noticed a large number of LAST CHANCE sales stickers on products they will no longer be carrying.

A real shame as most of the items are not found at other grocery stores.

The Bean Counters are ruining the Whole Foods experience and it’s starting to resemble Safeway.

 

[kupkakez]

Started shopping at Whole Foods not too long ago (2014).

The selection and availability of items has severely decreased since being purchased by Amazon.

Shelves often have bare spots.

While at Whole Foods yesterday I noticed a large number of LAST CHANCE sales stickers on products they will no longer be carrying.

A real shame as most of the items are not found at other grocery stores.

The Bean Counters are ruining the Whole Foods experience and it’s starting to resemble Safeway.

I've noticed the same thing at our Whole Foods, which is disappointing to say the least. I love Whole Foods for the specialty items I cannot get at other grocery stores, unfortunately a lot of times the items I want aren't there.

 

[sidewinder3000]

So the same as Walmart pickup, got it. Amazon tries to tell us they’re innovative, this idea was lifted right from Walmart.

“Lifted from Walmart”? Get real. There is not much about this idea that is all that innovative or original. I guarantee you that every major grocery retailer has had this idea. This idea is mostly about execution. Walmart was obviously able to implement it sooner because they have always had stores. Amazon only recently acquired whole foods, so it is reasonable that it would take them a little longer to be able to execute this fairly surface level idea.

 

[dontwalkhand]

“Lifted from Walmart”? Get real. There is not much about this idea that is all that innovative or original. I guarantee you that every major grocery retailer has had this idea. This idea is mostly about execution. Walmart was obviously able to implement it sooner because they have always had stores. Amazon only recently acquired whole foods, so it is reasonable that it would take them a little longer to be able to execute this fairly surface level idea.

It may not be innovative but the Amazon fandom is there that people probably will actually think they invented this.

 

[kuwxman]

Even less of a reason to use Amazon now. Not that I do much - there are better and cheaper places to buy stuff.

Never got the appeal of Amazon - they are nothing special and have not been anything special since they started.

Uh. OK? Curious how Amazon adding a feature for certain Prime members make it "even less of a reason to use Amazon now"? That doesn't even make sense. Amazon is also the most popular shopping website in the US, sooo it is pretty safe to say you're in the minority.