Whole Foods Is Launching Grocery Delivery Service in Baltimore
Baltimore shoppers will get a taste of online shopping at Whole Foods Market this year. The organic grocer announced Thursday that it's expanding its relationship with Instacart to add to the number of markets it serves. Baltimore and Orange County, CA, will be the first two new markets that deliver Whole Foods groceries using Instacart this year, though the company doesn't yet know when.
Whole Foods spokeswoman McKinzey Crossland couldn't say whether the city stores delivering will include only the Harbor East and Mount Washington stores in Baltimore City or whether it will include the store in Howard County's Downtown Columbia.
Instacart relies on personal shoppers to select the best alternative brand when your favorite is out of stock. Shoppers can purchase groceries online or with the Instacart app and get their groceries in as little as an hour. It's been called the Uber of groceries.
Whole Foods and Instacart currently have partnerships in 17 cities, including Washington, DC, New York and Philadelphia. The expansion of the partnership calls for adding new e-commerce solutions and growing the number of Whole Foods Market stores with Instacart shoppers by up to 50% nationwide by the end of the year.
