Ordering Groceries Online with Amazon Fresh

The business of delivering groceries straight to the customer’s door is a tough one, and up to now there hasn’t been definitive success – not even from Walmart. But, Amazon sees past that challenge and has revived its ‘Fresh’ service with limited access in Seattle that allows customers to purchase their groceries and other items online and then opt-in for home delivery. We do it with take-out, why not an entire grocery order?

No one knows if this attempt is going to prove that successful, and Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos has said little more than that the company has been “tinkering” with the service. If it proves successful in Seattle, where Amazon is based, then we may see the service expanded to other heavily-populated cities as well.

Pricing starts out at $5.99 (we’re not sure if it goes higher), but customers who are Fresh faithfuls will be able to take advantage of the “Big Radish” customer appreciation program that will enable free delivery of orders above $30. Improving the quality of the service even further, customers can choose which day they’d like to receive the delivery, and also the time. Something else regular supermarkets won’t do? Bring your order straight to your kitchen.

I used to think that online grocery shopping was a little strange, but the idea has begun to grow on me. The prospect of building an order online when something pops to mind and then having the entire thing delivered on your schedule is oddly appealing. Does anyone actually enjoy going to the supermarket? Amazon Fresh, along with its competitors, do seem to hold potential.

Am I alone here? Am I crazy to even picture ordering groceries online? Would YOU make use of such a service, if it were available in your city?