Meijer starts online personal shoppers
Four Meijer grocery stores, including one each in St. Charles and Aurora, have started an online personal shopping program so busy customers can order on the Web and later pick their items up in the store's parking lot.
Grocery Express (www.meijergroceryexpress.com) actually had a test run about a year ago in Grand Rapids, Mich., where the company is based. This week, the program launched here and in Columbus, Ohio. Based on its acceptance, the program could expand to all 190 Meijer stores around the Midwest, company officials say.
The St. Charles and Aurora stores were selected because of the types of customers they serve and the volume of business, said Meijer spokesman Frank Guglielmi.
"The area surrounding our Aurora store is more heavily residential, while the area surrounding our St. Charles store is more commercial," he said. "This allows us to monitor how different customers use the service, such as people coming home from work versus stay-at-home parents."
When you go to the Grocery Express Web site, you could order from about 27,000 items at the same regular or sale prices as in the store. However, general merchandise, pharmacy, alcohol and tobacco aren't available, he said.
"General merchandise is not included mainly because we have more than 100,000 (products), which is a lot to try and offer through this type of program," he said. "Pharmacy, alcohol, tobacco are not included due to the numerous regulations around the sale of those items. Also, we have another program called 'Grocery by the case,' which allows people to buy grocery items, including paper items, in larger quantities online and have them delivered to their homes."
The company research shows that Grocery Express customers so far buy an average of 50 items per order. The most popular include diapers, formula, milk, bread, eggs and cereal.
A fee for an individual order is $6.95 or unlimited orders in a 30-day period for $24.95. You can place the order and select a pickup time starting from three hours to seven days.
Then shoppers can park in the designated parking space by the store and call the Grocery Express number or push a call button on the outside of the Grocery Express door.
"I understand this is a similar service to Peapod, but our focus is to bring another level of service and convenience to Meijer customers," Guglielmi said.
Surfing: TraceFone Wireless Inc., a prepaid cell phone provider, is offering SafeLink Wireless, a program that provides a free cell phone and 60 minutes of free monthly talk time for emergencies for one year to low-income households here. For details, see www.safelink.com.
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