If you're a Prime subscriber who enjoys shopping at Whole Foods, Amazon has some good news for you today. All 487 US Whole Foods Market stores now offer free, one-hour pickups.
The one prerequisite beyond needing to be signed up to Prime is an order totaling at least $35. Your pickup can be arranged for a local store using the Amazon app or directly on the Amazon website. Fill your cart, pick a one-hour window, place your order, then check-in using the app to let Amazon know you're on your way to collect. By checking in first, Amazon says "the majority of customers" only wait a minute on arrival for their order. Depending on the store, it may even be brought to your car.
Amazon says over 40 percent of Whole Foods pickups are from customers trying the service for the first time, which the company believes is a direct consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. More of us are shopping online through necessity and safety, and Amazon is clearly benefiting.
Whole Foods has adapted during the pandemic, offering free masks to wear when shopping in-store, while also opening its first online-only store in Brooklyn. If the growth of pickups continues, it seems likely more online-only stores will open in the near future. At the same time, Amazon is experimenting with opening traditional grocery stores called Amazon Fresh.