Publix just started their curbside grocery pickup today in the Citrus Park area of Tampa.
Publix Store #0754 Shoppes of Citrus Park
7835 Gunn Highway
Tampa, Fla.
This location and another in Atlanta, Georgia are going to be their test projects to see if they will expand it to other locations. You can order groceries online and then pay when you get to the curbside pickup. There is a $7.99 fee for the service. As one busy mom I can tell you the $7.99 fee really does not seem too bad to me. There have been times when I needed to go to the store, but just didn’t want to or could because the kids were sick or I had a cranky baby that was going to fuss during the entire shopping excursion. This is something that is going to be a service that will be well used moms, dads, and everyone else. It would be great if it were in more locations. I hope they expand it to other areas in Tampa Bay soon.
Information from the Official Public Press Release:
Publix customers will place their orders online by visiting http:www.publix.com/curbside. Once on the site, customers will select their desired pickup location, specified 30-minute pickup window and proceed with order placement. Customers will see an estimated total as weights for produce, meat and deli items will fluctuate. Sale prices for the store that are effective the day of pickup will be honored. Payment is tendered at the time of pickup. No minimum order amount is required and a $7.99 service fee per Curbside order will be added to the total. As an introductory offer, the $7.99 service fee is waived for first time users. The site will allow for multiple shopping lists to be saved under the customer sign-in for subsequent purchases.
“As we continue to provide our customers with the service they have grown to expect, we need to provide new and more advanced ways to meet the needs of their growing and changing families,” said Maria Brous, Publix director of media and community relations. “Publix Curbside is a natural extension of our service commitment, especially for time-starved families.”
Personal shoppers will select orders for customers using the service. If a customer does not have access to a computer for order placement, orders may be faxed directly to the store or placed on the telephone with a personal shopper. For ease of pickup, designated parking spaces will be available at the Tampa store and a dedicated drive-thru at Atlanta.
Conducting a test in two different markets will afford the company an opportunity to review data, look for similarities and study the differences. Publix has studied online shopping and home delivery since 2000, prior to the launch of PublixDirect.
Unlike PublixDirect, which launched in 2001 and closed in 2003, Publix Curbside allows for orders to be selected in-store by personal shoppers and picked-up by customers at their local, specified Publix.
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