Peapod to Test D.C. Metro Station Pickup Points

This spring, Peapod by Giant will run a six-month trial during which it will provide groceries at certain Washington, D.C., Metro train stations, according to published reports, which noted that the Fort Totten, Glenmont and Van Dorn Street stations would take part in the pilot program.

"We will be the first system in the U.S. to do this," Stan Wall, director of the Office of Real Estate and Station Planning at the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority (WMATA), told the local ABC7 news affiliate.

Under the program, each station will feature an insulated locker for customers' groceries. Consumers will be able to order items online via the e-grocer and pick them up on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from 4 to 7 p.m. An attendant will be on hand to give shoppers their orders, but no money will change hands. A customer must order a minimum of $60 in groceries, with a $2.95 fee for the service.

When contacted by Progressive Grocer, Peg Merzbacher, VP of regional marketing at Skokie, Ill.-based Peapod, an Ahold USA company, confirmed the pilot, which she said was “part of our commitment to find more ways to make grocery shopping easy for busy consumers. Customers can shop anytime, anywhere from their desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone, and then pick up their groceries as they head home after work."

Peapod by Giant currently offers 52 pickup locations.