Amazon Finds Yet Another Way To Sell You Stuff

Here goes Amazon with another entry into the grocery business. After building a store where you don’t need cashiers or to go through a checkout, they have now put the finishing touches on a store where you can just order online and pick up your groceries without leaving the air-conditioned comfort of your SUV. Much like the Curbside service at CVS (which hasn’t done well and was tried by Target and then abandoned after 18 months…) the employees inside will shop for you and bag the order up and then deliver it into your waiting trunk outside. It’s currently being tested by Amazon employees only so we’ll see how it goes, but I just don’t see that many people allowing someone else to pick out their steak, produce and so on if they’ve already made the trip to the store. If you’re lounging around at home in your pajamas and want to get some groceries delivered by Amazon Fresh I can see it, but unless there’s considerable cost savings (unlikely, since it’s making the employee shop for you, thus adding labor costs) I just can’t see this being successful. Then again, I never envisioned a self-driving shopping cart either…

Amazon has opened its latest grocery initiative, which takes a direct hit at the “click and collect” pickup services that more and more supermarket retailers are offering.

AmazonFresh Pickup is a drive-by grocery delivery service that allows Amazon Prime members to order groceries online and pick them up in as little as 15 minutes. The fledgling concept, which has opened two locations in Seattle, is still in a beta mode and open to Amazon employees. (Amazon is using the same strategy for its convenience store concept, Amazon Go.)

Here’s how the new service works: Shoppers order online from AmazonFresh’s selection, which features “thousands of grocery items available at low prices — including high-quality meats, fresh produce, bread, dairy, household essentials and more,” according to the company’s website.

After ordering, they reserve a pick-up time (starting at 15 minutes after the order is placed) and drive to the selected Pickup location. Shoppers pull into a parking space, and Amazon employees load the groceries directly into the customers’ cars.

“AmazonFresh Pickup is a fast and easy way to order groceries, pick them up, and be on your way in minutes,” Amazon says in an FAQ. “Whether you’re shopping for your weekly groceries or picking up a last-minute item, we have thousands of grocery items available at low prices — including high-quality meats, fresh produce, bread, dairy, household essentials and more.”

The service is free and exclusive to Amazon Prime members, unlike the company’s AmazonFresh delivery service, which costs $14.99 per month. There is no minimum order.