WALKER, MI -- Meijer is expanding its popular curbside program to eight stores in Michigan and Ohio.
Starting this week, customers of the Cascade store in Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor Meijer stores are able to shop online and pick up their groceries curbside without leaving their vehicles.
Meijer Curbside will also be offered at Meijer stores in the Grand Rapids suburb of Jenison and the Detroit suburb of Canton later this year. By early next year, it will start in four Ohio stores: in Dayton at the Kettering location, Miami Township, Englewood and Beavercreek.
The eight new Meijer stores that will offer Curbside service over the next few months. (courtesy image)
Looking at other sites
Meijer intends to roll the service out to more of its 222 stores across its six-state footprint that also includes Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Wisconsin.
"Our interest is to move expansion along as fast as reasonable," said Michael Ross, vice president of digital shopping and customer marketing.
The retailer is looking at additional stores where it can add the service. Each location requires approvals by the city or township, and sometimes a reconfiguration to the store itself to create a pic- up spot.
Meijer is among a host of retailers trying out letting their shoppers order online and pick up at the store. Not all offer those pickups curbside.
"Meijer as well as other retailers in marketplace are recognizing that consumers are seeking convenience and other ways to shop," Ross said. "All of us are working toward a solution that meets that need."
Meijer first piloted the program in April at the Knapp Corner store in Grand Rapids -- not far from its Walker headquarters. More than 75 percent of weekly orders are from repeat customers.
How Curbside works
The program uses 15 specially-trained team members to hand select every item in a customer's order and shop according to special instructions and personal preferences.
Customers first place an order online at Meijer.com/curbside.
They can choose from about 60,000 products -- which is about 20 percent of what is on store shelves -- of the most commonly shopped grocery and general merchandise items.
Then customers select a preferred pick-up time between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. daily.
For orders of one to 12 items, customers can pick them up in as little as one hour. For orders of 13 or more items, customers can schedule pickup in about three hours. Orders can be placed up to three days in advance.
That quick turnaround in pickup is what sets Meijer apart from its competition, said Art Sebastian, the retailer's director of digital shopping.
The service costs $4.95 per order, regardless of size. The retailer is waiving the service fee at each store for the first 30 days after the service is launched. Meijer is also working with vendors who have expressed interest in paying the fee for customers as part of a promotion.
Ross acknowledges those fees don't pay for the extra staffing required to provide the service.
"Clearly there is additional investment on our part to service this business," Ross said. "We are continuing to learn the economics of the business."
Popular service with parents
The service is particularly popular with parents of young children.
Melissa Gorman, a working mom with two young boys, credits Meijer Curbside for giving her back her Saturdays.
"Meijer Curbside has been life changing," said Gorman. "Being able to shop for my groceries from the comfort of my home and pick them up on my way home from work without leaving my car has allowed me to spend more quality time with my family at the park, or at the children's museum, or even just enjoying a movie and popcorn at home. It has made the past three months of my life so much easier."
Shandra Martinez covers business for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Email her or follow her on Twitter @shandramartinez.