Giant Revamps Paid Subscription Plan

Ahold Delhaize’s Giant Co. this week is introducing Choice Pass, a $98 annual paid subscription offering unlimited free delivery and pickup, linked to the chain’s Choice Rewards loyalty program.

Choice Pass succeeds a $119-a-year delivery subscription program known as Pod Pass that was associated with Peapod. Giant has since absorbed Peapod under its Giant Direct omnichannel brand.

Ahold Delhaize officials said late last year that such a program was coming to Giant Co., the Carlisle, Pa.-based company operating the Giant Food Stores and Martin’s brands. The launch is among a wave of new or revamped subscription options retailers hope will strengthen the loyalty of their high-spending omnichannel shoppers. Giant said Choice Pass “represents the company’s next step in enhancing its holistic online experience while keeping its focus on helping families save time so they can find more time to gather around the table.”

Giant said the new price point—which at $98 matches the offer of Walmart’s newly launched Walmart —enables Choice Pass to “pay for itself” with just two deliveries per month or one pickup per week, saving shoppers the $2.95 pickup convenience fee or the $7.95 delivery fee assessed to “a la carte” transactions. Individual orders are also subject to a $30 (pickup) or $60 (delivery) minimum order size.

Walmart notably launched its Walmart service with a minimum order size for members, only to strike that requirement weeks later in a move believed to more closely resemble Amazon's no-minimum Prime offering.

“The demand for online grocery services has skyrocketed over the past year, far surpassing the growth that was originally predicted. The same holds true for Giant Direct, where we’ve seen online customers grow each month,” said Matt Simon, chief marketing officer of Giant, in a statement. “Today’s families are strapped for time, and Choice Pass simplifies shopping with an easy solution that helps save them time and money, without compromising on quality, giving them more time to come together at their table and connect over a meal.”

Giant has released an accompanying logo for Choice Pass that takes origins from its existing Choice Rewards loyalty program.

The company said monthly subscriptions of $12.95 were also available.

“Currently, one-third of our customers engage with us digitally. As that number grows, given the renewed interest in subscription services, especially grocery delivery, Choice Pass also positions us for future growth in the expanding digital landscape,” added Simon. “And as we look forward, we’ll continue to explore ways to strengthen our e-commerce platform to not only meet the increasing demand but to also offer a seamlessly integrated online experience to our online customers.”

Customers across 90% of the company’s footprint have access to online grocery ordering and delivery services.