New Amazon Prime Perk: Whole Foods Curbside Pickup in 30 Minutes
Plenty has changed at Whole Foods since the upmarket grocer was acquired by Amazon, but one of the biggest pushes has been the introduction of two-hour delivery in major cities across the country. But for Prime members looking to get their groceries even faster, in as little as 30 minutes (with a fee), Amazon has started offering a new option: Whole Foods pickup. And bonus: You don’t even have to leave your car to grab your stuff.
In announcement made today, Amazon and Whole Foods said that this new grocery pickup option will initially be introduced in Sacramento and Virginia Beach, “with more cities to come throughout 2018.” To utilize the service, customers simply order as usual through Prime Now, select the pickup option at checkout, and then park in a reserved pickup spot upon arrival. Pickup in as little as an hour is free on orders of $35 or more; meanwhile, if you are in a major rush and want to cut that time down to just 30 minutes, it’ll cost you an additional fee of $4.99.
“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,” Stephenie Landry, Worldwide Vice President of Prime Now, AmazonFresh and Amazon Restaurants, said in a statement. “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.”
Though offering a pickup option is clearly sensible and convenient, the fact that Amazon is once again tying this service to Amazon Prime continues to show just how dedicated the company is to getting customers on board with their $119 per year membership plan. Beyond offering Prime members free delivery, just three months ago, Amazon also unveiled an entire rewards program for Amazon Prime at Whole Foods. How long can it be before only Prime members are allowed to use the shopping carts that don’t have wobbly wheels?
