Bill Thompson
WMAL.com
Metro is working on a deal to save riders a trip to the grocery store after work.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO WMAL'S REPORT
The transit agency is talking with Giant Food about a six-month pilot program that would let people order groceries online while still at the office, then pick them up at the Metro station on the way home.
“It basically saves you a trip,” Stan Wall, director of real estate and station planning at Metro, told the Washington Post. “As part of your daily routine, you can exit the station and pick up your bags of groceries and either walk, hop on a bus, or hop in a car to go home. It saves a trip and it is a big convenience for customers.”
Metro riders would be able to choose a pick-up time between 4 and 7 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Giant Food's Peapod service would drop the food off at special lockers and an attendant would then deliver the food to the buyer.
The riders could also pick up their food at the Kiss and Ride parking lots. They would call the attendent, who would then bring the food out to the car.
“We are thinking that it will really work for folks,” Peg Merzbacher, a Peapod by Giant spokesperson, told the Post. “They are already there, their cars are right there, and they will just need to pull up and the attendant will put their bag in their trunk and they can be on their way.”
At first, the service would only be offered at the Fort Totten, Glenmont and Van Dorn Street Metro stations. If customers like the service, it would be expanded to more stations and the Peapod service would have to compete with similar services for the long-term contract.
Copyright 2014 by WMAL News. All Rights Reserved. (AP Photo)
