Like this, but without leaving your bank.
Photo: David Paul Morris / Bloomberg via Getty Images
Some Whole Foods locations in New York City today launched a new delivery option for Prime members. The big field is that these Amazon-compatible messages may arrive quickly within an hour, which means that the promise to buy fish heads at home and LaCroix pamplemousse is now a reality (at least in the parts of Brooklyn, Manhattan and Long Island where the service is currently offered), but does it work as promised? Grub Street loaded the Prime Now app and gave it a chance.
The order
• The order included: coffee, tonic water, butter, a piece of steak steak on sale, some chic ham, a frozen Roberta & # 39; s pizza from the past, canned seltzer, some kale and a spicy tuna avocado bread.
• With wall-to-wall deals, shopping at virtual Whole Foods is about the same as walking through an abandoned casino at 4 am with a stack of $ 100 bills. There is no running tab next to the virtual car on top of Prime Now & # 39; s page that says how much you spend, so if it seems wise to buy gluten-free cookies from Tate – that recently sold for the very un – Whole Foods – y Mondelēz International for $ 500 million by the way – for $ 3.50 per bag, perhaps, but it's not unlikely that the next thing you know, there are three packages of luxury ham for $ 7.99 per doll are in the shopping cart. It is impulsive shopping for steroids.
• Buying fish on the internet will never be weird. For the sake of it effort for various certifications at several environmental organizations, Whole Foods seems to be a good place to buy mussels online. However, the pages for "local" and "wild" steamers were confusing and a line had to be drawn. Never let anyone pick your cockles.
• For Business synergy between Amazon and Whole Foods often comes across as a baroque and megalithic empire of data mining. So even the process of getting groceries out and placing them back feels like it can activate an algorithm that two hours later results in an email with the subject line: "Hey, are you still interested in those sustainable fish heads ( 99 cents per pound) that you looked at before? & # 39;
• Counterpoint: Whole Foods delivers beer, cold and artisanal, and pretzels are for sale.
The delivery
• First there is a text: “Your Prime Now customer has started working on your order. We will let you know if there are changes! At 10:34 a.m., the earliest option for delivery was between noon and 1 p.m. for $ 4.99. Tip, which is adjustable, is processed in the bill.
• A screen dialog will open one minute later. "Hello, I started your order. I'll let you know if there are changes. Thank you!"
• Skirt steak, for sale at half the normal price, was sold out. Makhalia had a solution. “We don't currently have a steak, do you want to replace something else? Maybe beef flank steak? & # 39; she asked. This was a nice touch. (Thank you, Makhalia.) Unfortunately, her message remained unread for 20 minutes, so the order may have been held.
• In its current form, and with the exception of the concierge above, the protocol is not too different from Whole Foods & # 39; existing delivery program and its delivery window from 2 to 4, but that will no doubt die out, just like that of the chain loyalty program.
• The most striking is that the & # 39; line expects to be delivered within an hour & # 39; doing the rounds in today's news stories is not the same as the official Whole Foods statement, which partially reads, those messages "Are available for delivery within an hour." Select alcohol is also available for delivery.
• The doorbell rang at 1:10, somewhat late.
The verdict
• Like meal packages, delivery of groceries will depend on the person on the other side of your order selecting undamaged fruit, non-gnarly potatoes or non-mushy salmon. That is not always the case. At Whole Foods, where groceries generally cost more, the service must be better and more specialized. In this case the kale was as unspoiled as kale can be.
• The seasoned tuna avocado sandwich – the true, universal measure of any restaurant or supermarket delivery – was delivered in an insulated, "temperature controlled" bag in a paper bag and was actually 40 degrees, according to the meat thermometer. That is impressive on a day of 83 degrees.
• In general, ordering groceries delivered by Amazon for the whole food took a little more time than expected, and it was easy to spend more than originally intended. That way it was just like shopping in a physical Whole Foods store.
This post has been updated with new information.