By FRED PACE
The Herald-Dispatch
BARBOURSVILLE, W.Va. — Kalee Werner says grocery shopping may never be the same.
Werner, 25, was the first customer in West Virginia to use Kroger’s new online shopping feature, which as of Thursday is offered to customers at its store in Barboursville.
(Photo by Lori Wolfe)
Kroger has introduced “ClickList,” an online shopping option with a curbside pickup that is now available regionally at its stores in Barboursville, Portsmouth, Ohio, and Maysville, Kentucky. Officials with other Tri-State grocery stores, including FoodFair, say they may follow with similar services.
The store at 6360 U.S. 60 is the first in West Virginia to offer the new Kroger service, company officials said.
“Using ClickList, customers can shop online and pick up their orders curbside at the store,” said George Anderson, e-commerce manager for Kroger’s Mid-Atlantic division. “You order, pull up to the store and we load your vehicle with your groceries. It is that simple.”
Anderson said ClickList is designed to save time and increase convenience for customers.
“Customers say their usual weekly shopping takes 90 minutes or more, and using ClickList reduces the time to 20 minutes,” he said.
To use ClickList, users create a free online account and then select a participating store.
“The user can choose from 40,000 products and then select a pickup time for their items,” Anderson said. “A ClickList employee at the Kroger location is assigned to the order, handpicks the items, stores them until the pickup time and then brings the groceries to the customer’s car and takes payment for the items.”
The store has clearly marked its designated pickup area, which is to the left of the front entrance. Products not available for purchase online from Kroger’s ClickList are alcohol, tobacco, prescriptions, hot food and gift cards.
Anderson said feedback from Kroger customers in regions already offering ClickList has been overwhelmingly positive. Kroger rolled out the program in other regions in 2016.
“We know today’s customers are continuously looking for ways to increase their productivity yet simplify their lives,” Anderson said.
In order to fulfill ClickList orders, the store is hiring at least 20 additional employees.
Customers will pay a $4.95 service charge to use ClickList; however, Kroger is waiving that fee for customers’ first three orders, said John Lambert, spokesman for Kroger’s Mid-Atlantic division.
Werner said she saves enough time and money to make the service well worth it.
“I am able to stick to my list and I don’t impulse shop, like I might by shopping inside,” she said. “It just makes things much easier for me and my family.”
Lambert said the new service is offered from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week. Orders placed are available the same day with four hours’ notice.
Customers can use their Kroger Plus Cards and may redeem coupons when they pay for the order during pickup using a credit or debit card. No cash will be accepted, and orders cannot be paid for online. There are no minimum or maximum order limits.
To place an order, visit www.kroger.com/clicklist.
If an ordered item is not available, the selector will choose a substitute.
“If an item is not available in the size ordered, the selector will choose another size,” he said. “Any changes will be wrapped separately, and the customer may decline the substituted item. If the item costs more than the customer’s selection, the customer will receive the lower price.”
Anderson said customer orders are then stored in temperature-controlled rooms.
“Online ordering is the wave of the future,” Anderson said. “In today’s high-tech world, with so many people trying to get so much done, ClickList is an efficient way to shop, saving valuable time.”
Other grocery stores in the region, including FoodFair and Wal-Mart, are working to launch online ordering and curbside pickup options as well.
“We are actively testing online ordering and curbside pickup and hope to launch very soon,” said Tim Forth, of Forth Foods, which owns 14 FoodFair markets in the Tri-State area.
Wal-Mart already offers the service in several states, but hasn’t launched in West Virginia. Customers can go online to grocery.walmart.com to be added to a wait list and be notified when the services will be offered in their area, a Wal-Mart official said Thursday.
Several national companies, like Amazon and Google Express, offer digital grocery ordering that is delivered to the customer’s home.
“We are already seeing an increasing trend in online and delivery services at grocery stores in West Virginia,” said Janet Vineyard, president of the West Virginia Oil Marketers and Grocers Association. “These types of new, high-tech services are a way to keep competitive in a very competitive grocery market.”
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