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Meijer serves up free pickup for the holidays

Supercenter chain steps up hiring to prepare for online order surge

Russell Redman

October 16, 2020

2 Min Read
Meijer_Pickup_service-parking_lot.jpg
Through the Meijer Pickup service, customers send a text and park in assigned area upon arriving at the store, and an associate brings out their order and loads it into their car.Meijer

Heading into the holiday shopping season, Meijer has begun offering free curbside pickup for online orders.

Under the new program, Meijer Pickup service carries no charge for orders of more than $50 and doesn’t require membership, the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based supercenter retailer said yesterday. Product pricing is the same as in stores, as is access to weekly sales items.

Free pickup is available for more than 100,000 items online, including grocery, general merchandise, toys, electronics, beauty care and housewares, Meijer said, adding that the service offers customers more convenience as well as extra safety amid the COVID-19 crisis.

“This is the latest of our efforts to adapt our digital services to help customers manage their lives during the pandemic and further enhance the experience of shopping at Meijer,” Derek Steele, vice president of customer strategy at Meijer, said in a statement. “We believe the personalized service, coupled with the freshness and wide selection our stores offer, provides the digital solution so many of our customers are looking for during these challenging times.”

Meijer_Pickup-store_associate.jpg

Meijer Pickup associates manually pick the ordered items at stores and ready them for customer pickup within a few hours.

Through the Meijer Pickup service, a store associate hand-selects the ordered items and readies them for pickup within a few hours, Meijer said. Customers place orders online at Meijer.com or via the Meijer app on their smartphone, note any preferences and select an available time and store location for pickup. Upon arriving at the store, customers send a text and park in assigned area. Their order is then brought out to their vehicle.

Related:Meijer goes virtual with Supplier Diversity Summit

In placing pickup orders, shoppers also can keep track of their total basket as well as use mPerks rewards and coupons, Meijer noted.

Meijer currently is enhancing its capacity to prepare for the expected increase in orders during the holidays by hiring 10 to 15 team members at each store, Steele reported.

Because of reduced hours during pandemic, Meijer Pickup operates from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. The service is offered at supercenters across Meijer’s six-states Midwestern trade area, making it accessible to nearly 11 million households. Overall, Meijer has 253 supercenters and grocery stores in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin.

Across the retail arena, curbside pickup service stands to be in strong demand during the holidays as consumer concerns about COVID-19 continue.

According to a recently released study by research firm Incisiv, and commissioned by Manhattan Associates, 85% of shoppers have significantly increased curbside pickup orders versus pre-pandemic rates, with 79% saying that contactless pickup is very important. Although 91% of shoppers said they miss shopping in stores, only 28% plan to step up in-store shopping, and just 5% plan to try a product in-store. For the study, Incisiv surveyed 2,510 U.S. shoppers who plan to visit a store for an in-store purchase, order pickup or customer service in the next six months.

Related:Meijer expects to administer 75% more flu shots this year

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About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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