Amazon has recently made a significant change to its Fresh grocery delivery service. Previously, a $139-a-year Prime membership was required to access the service. However, Amazon is now opening it up to shoppers without a Prime membership, starting with select cities. Currently, the service is available in Austin, Texas; Boston, Massachusetts; Charlotte, North Carolina; Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Nashville, Tennessee; Phoenix, Arizona; Portland, Oregon; Richmond, Virginia; Sacramento, California; San Diego, California; and San Francisco, California. According to Bloomberg, Amazon plans to expand availability nationwide by the end of the year.
Under the new system, non-Prime members who wish to shop online at Fresh and have their items delivered will be charged a delivery fee based on the order value. Orders under $50 will incur a $14 delivery fee, orders between $50 and $100 will be charged $11, and orders over $100 will have an $8 delivery fee.
It’s worth noting that the new delivery fees are higher compared to those for Prime members who shop at Fresh. Prime members pay a $10 delivery fee for orders under $50, $7 for orders between $50 and $100, and $4 for orders over $100.
In terms of delivery options, Fresh shoppers can choose a two-hour window for delivery, or opt for a longer six-hour window at a lower charge.
Amazon aims to provide easy, fast, and affordable grocery shopping for all of its customers. The company stated that it is excited to offer Amazon Fresh grocery delivery to non-Prime members in a dozen U.S. cities.
Furthermore, Amazon plans to consolidate its various online supermarket offerings, including Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods, and Amazon.com. This move would allow customers to do their grocery shopping in one place, rather than having to visit separate platforms.
Amazon first entered the grocery sector in 2007 with the launch of Fresh. It currently operates 44 supermarkets across the U.S. The company expanded its presence in the sector by acquiring Whole Foods for $13.7 billion in 2017. Additionally, Amazon operates a number of Go convenience stores, which operate without cashiers.
However, Amazon recently faced some challenges due to difficult economic times. The company laid off hundreds of Fresh employees and closed down eight Go stores. Despite this, Amazon remains committed to its grocery business.
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Deepak Sen is a tech enthusiast who covers the latest technological innovations, from AI to consumer gadgets. His articles provide readers with a glimpse into the ever-evolving world of technology.
