Park, load up, go: Amazon brings curbside grocery pickup to Whole Foods

Amazon.com Inc., known for bringing items to shoppers’ homes, is adding a curbside-pickup option at Whole Foods grocery stores for Prime members.

Shoppers will be able to order eggs, milk and other groceries on the Prime Now app, park in reserved spaces at the store and have workers place the items in their cars.

Curbside grocery pickup is a feature that Walmart, Kroger and other grocers have been expanding to make shopping more convenient and boost sales. At Walmart, for example, the service has been a major driver of its online sales growth.

The Whole Foods move, announced Wednesday, is the latest by Seattle-based Amazon since it took control of the grocery chain a year ago. Many of the changes have been for its Prime members, who pay $119 a year or $12.99 a month for membership. Prime members can get special discounts at Whole Foods or order two-hour deliveries through Prime Now at certain stores.

The service started Wednesday at its stores in Sacramento and in Virginia Beach, Va. It will expand to more cities this year. There’s no additional charge on orders of $35 and up if pickup is in an hour. There’s a fee of $4.99 for those who want to pick up within 30 minutes of ordering. Shoppers must use the Prime Now app to let Whole Foods know they are on their way or in the parking lot.