Whole Foods Market May Soon Be Launching a Pickup Service

Whole Foods Market May Soon Be Launching a Pickup Service
iStock/krblokhin

Amazon accidentally made the public aware of its most recent planned change at Whole Foods Market: a pickup service for not only Whole Foods groceries, but for products from a “marquee” of other retailers. A job posting for a finance manager to help build this business was posted online but has since been deleted.

“Of course, Amazon has been historically tight-lipped on its business plans, and this situation is no different,” reports Digital Trends. “The ecommerce giant has not yet responded to a request for comment.”

The ad, first spotted by the Puget Sound Business Journal, indicated the chain was on the hunt for someone to help launch “the Whole Foods delivery and pick-up service on the ultra-fast Prime Now app and enable our Prime customers to shop from a set of marquee third-party retailers.”

While other large grocery chains such as Kroger and Walmart already offer pickup services, it appears that Amazon’s stands out in that it would allow users to order from several different retailers at once and pick them all up from one location.

This new development is no surprise, given the plethora of other changes that Amazon has been making to Whole Foods Market since it acquired the natural and organic chain last August. Other changes have included price cuts, the availability of in-store Amazon lockers for the delivery and return of items ordered on Amazon, and elements of a transition toward making Amazon Prime the new Whole Foods Market customer rewards program. These perks exclusive to Amazon Prime customers include free two-hour delivery, five percent cash back on purchases made with the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa credit card, and exclusive price cuts.

Amazon has also been attempting to streamline some Whole Foods Market processes, transitioning to more centralized buyers and developing an in-store merchandising program funded by a fee charged to some of the chain’s larger brands.

Related on Organic Authority
Whole Foods Market Trades its Roots for Bigger Brands
Food Shortages at Whole Foods Linked to Ordering System, Increased Demand
Post-Amazon, Whole Foods Market Retains its ‘Whole Paycheck’ Reputation (and Prices)

Emily Monaco is a food and culture writer based in Paris. Her work has been featured in the Wall ... More about Emily Monaco
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