Whole Foods Market this week opened a new brick-and-mortar store in Brooklyn, but you can't go inside.
The online-only shop, which launched Tuesday, Sept. 1, is staffed by folks whose job it is to receive, shop, and prepare orders for delivery. In the works for more than a year, the Industry City location will exclusively serve customers in the Brooklyn area.
Amazon, which owns the US supermarket chain, claims that grocery delivery is one of its fastest-growing businesses—helped along by the recent uptick in pandemic demand. It's so popular, in fact, that the e-commerce company in April was forced to add new customers to a waiting list.
(Photo via Amazon)
"Together [with Whole Foods], we're thrilled to increase access to grocery delivery," an Amazon blog announcement said. "It's never been more important." Place an online order via Amazon Fresh or Amazon Prime Now and pick up your groceries from any of the company's 150 participating stores, including a number of Whole Foods Markets across the US.
Amazon is making waves in the supermarket sector from coast to coast. The firm last week introduced Amazon Fresh in Woodland Hills, Calif. A traditional grocery store kitted out with modern tech, Amazon Fresh invites customers to skip the checkout line with Dash Carts and ask Alexa for help navigating aisles.
Visitors can also take advantage of same-day delivery and pickup of everything from produce, meat, and seafood to fresh meals made daily; not to mention Amazon.com parcel collection and package-less product returns. Expect daily temperature checks for all employees, required face coverings for anyone entering the shop, and initial operations at 50 percent capacity to allow for social distancing.
Further Reading
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- Amazon Opens a Traditional Grocery Store Called Amazon Fresh in California
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