Subway Selection: Grocery Delivery Gets Creative

• February 23, 2012
• 2 Comments

by Shilpi Paul

Logan Circle Whole Foods

One big way in which an urban, walkable, bike-able lifestyle differs from a suburban car-happy one is the ease of getting groceries. While suburbanites can pack cars with goods from the supermarket, grocery-getting for city dwellers is often hampered by a lack of grocery stores nearby and the fact that carrying several bags of groceries on a bicycle can be difficult, if not treacherous.

As one solution, grocery delivery is getting more popular. Besides Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), where local farmers deliver weekly packages of seasonal fruits and vegetables (DC currently has dozens of options, which you can find here), the delivery service Peapod is trying out a new way to incorporate grocery shopping into the daily routines of city dwellers.

According to a recent Atlantic Cities post, Peapod has set up a “virtual grocery store” in a Philadelphia subway station. At the “store”, commuters can browse for groceries, scan items that they want through an app, and expect a home delivery later that day. This is the U.S. debut of a service that exists in a couple other cities around the world. A South Korean version that went up last year is already pretty successful, with the retailer showing a 130 percent boost in online sales since implementing the program.

Peapod already delivers in DC. If the new service works out in Philadelphia, we may soon be greeted to images of tomatoes and frozen pizzas while we wait for the Metro. Would you use it?

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/subway_selection_grocery_delivery_gets_creative/5187

2 Comments

1. tds said at 9:33 pm on Thursday February 23, 2012:
   I already use Peapod. I find it particularly handy for heavy, non perishable items, like bottled beverages, laundry detergent, dog food, and cat litter. I don't see how locating the virtual store in the metro is any more convenient than ordering from your office or mobile device. Peapod doesn't currently offer same day delivery so I will be curious to see if they are indeed able to "deliver." Maybe they are counting on receiving only very small orders. T

1. Jen said at 9:37 pm on Thursday February 23, 2012:
   I think its a great idea. Can't always get mobile reception in wmata stations - and given the long waits esp on weekends these days, give us something constructive to do. Also, they'd have to pay Metro something - more revenue more better.