Amazon Launches Grocery Pickup at Select Whole Food Stores Using 'Prime Now' Mobile App

After first launching direct grocery delivery from Whole Foods to its customers' doors earlier this year, Amazon today has begun a rollout of curbside grocery pickup at Whole Foods locations in Sacramento and Virginia Beach. At supported stores, grocery pickup will be available from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time.

The company explains that Prime members can now download the "Prime Now" app for iOS and Android, shop for items like fresh produce, bakery products, dairy, meat, seafood, floral, and everyday staples, and choose the pickup option at checkout. For orders over $35, customers can choose free pickup in as little as an hour, or pay $4.99 to get it in 30 minutes.


When arriving at a Whole Foods store, the supported locations will now have reserved pickup spots designated for curbside pickup customers. After parking, a Prime Now shopper will arrive and place the groceries in the customer's car "within minutes," and if customers tell the store that they are on their way in the Prime Now app, "groceries will be ready as they arrive."

“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,” said Stephenie Landry, Worldwide Vice President of Prime Now, AmazonFresh and Amazon Restaurants. “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.”

Outside of the new grocery pickup feature, Amazon's Prime Now iOS app [Direct Link] offers customers the ability to shop from Whole Foods and other local stores to get their items delivered to their door. In select cities, the app also allows for food delivery from restaurants like Red Lobster, P.F. Chang's, and Applebee's.

Amazon is continuously introducing exclusive features for Prime members into Whole Foods, following its acquisition of the grocery store chain in June 2017. Prime members shopping in the store now have the chance to save on exclusive "Prime member deals" and an extra 10 percent off certain designated items. Members can also opt to ship Amazon orders to delivery lockers located at select Whole Foods stores, and return Amazon orders there as well.

The new feature from Amazon launches in the wake of similar curbside pickup services gaining popularity at retailers like Target, Walmart, and Sam's Club. These stores let customers shop in their respective mobile apps, choose curbside pickup during checkout, and then drive up to the location and wait for a team member to load the groceries into their car, saving time and money on delivery fees.

Amazon says that grocery pickup will be expanding to more cities throughout 2018, and those in Sacramento and Virginia Beach can download the Prime Now app today to start trying out the new service.