Amazon has launched grocery delivery in Atlanta. The nation's largest online retailer announced early Friday, that AmazonFresh is available to customers in metro-area.
AmazonFresh, which launched in 2008 near the Seattle area where the company is based, has been rolling out in major cities over the last few years. The service allows customers to combine grocery items with other items they may need from Amazon into one order.
The offerings include fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, seafood, baked goods, dairy products and other items, like pet supplies, beauty products, prepared foods, household items and products made exclusively for AmazonFresh customers.
Atlanta customers can enjoy selections from local retailers through the local market program which features items from CalyRoad Creamery, Spotted Trotter, Susansnaps, Alon’s Bakery and more.
You can get same-day or next-day delivery and you can request that delivery be attended or be left at your door. When you order in the morning, your items will arrive as early as the evening or order before going to bed and everything will be at your door in the morning.
The service is an add-on to Amazon Prime membership for $14.99 per month. Current Prime members can visit www.amazon.com/amazonfresh for a free trial. If you don't have a Prime membership, you can still give AmazonFresh a try for free. For a limited time, new customers can get a free 30-day trial of AmazonFresh. You will also get $25 off your first order of $75 or more if you enter the code FRESH25 at checkout.
Not to be outdone, Amazon's biggest online competitor, Wal-Mart (the second largest online retailer in the country) is promoting a new feature of its online grocery pickup service.
Earlier this week, Wal-Mart announced the addition of Mobile Check-In to enhance their free online grocery pickup service in the Atlanta area.
Once shoppers have received online confirmation of their Wal-Mart grocery order, they can use the WalmartGrocery app to “check-in” when they are on the way to the store. Wal-Mart's team will then begin to assemble items for the order so that when you pull up to pick-up your groceries, there is no wait.
Wal-Mart's online pickup service is free (with a $30 minimum order) and offers more than 30,000 items for purchase with no markup. If prices in store decrease between the time an order is placed and when it is picked up, customers pay the lower amount on the day of pickup.
You can order your items up to three weeks in advance and any items you don't want can be returned at pickup or later in-store at a Wal-Mart location.
It probably is no coincidence that these services are being promoted just in time for Thanksgiving in the hopes that busy shoppers will consider the option of ordering everything online -- from a full Thanksgiving dinner to any last minute items they may need for holiday entertaining.
