Amazon has cancelled Prime Pantry

[Shermann]

I've been using this service off and on for years and am sorry to see it go.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/amazon-cancels-prime-pantry-good-news-for-grocery-stores/ar-BB1cILeO

It was something of a safe zone from price gouging on Amazon during the pandemic. Non-perishable food items that qualified for Pantry were fairly priced, while the same items outside of Pantry were 2X, 3X, or 4X the street price. Amazon generally does a good job keeping downward pressure on prices, but their non-perishable food items have been all over the place.

Making matters worse, searching for food items outside of Pantry is problematic. In the Pantry service, a search for a specific item would yield a single result. Outside of Pantry, you get pages and pages of results for the same item...just a big mess.

This was a useful tool in minimizing trips to the supermarket. I could make a single large trip to the supermarket for two weeks worth of supplies, and stretch a third week with pantry items from Amazon.

I've turned my back on Amazon and have placed an order with Walmart's NextDay Delivery service. This appears to be a comparable service, so we'll see how it goes.

[Grasswire2]

1. phooey.

Safeway is reliable except that often they are out of stock on something and you don't know it until your order arrives.

[FreeState]

6. Anti-union trash (Safeway/Vons/Albertsons/Pavilian)

In one of the first signs of the broad effects of the passage of Proposition 22 in California, Albertsons Cos. confirmed Monday that it’s moving away from doing its own grocery delivery in Southern California and toward using third-party delivery services.

Albertsons ACI, -0.97%, whose subsidiaries include grocery stores Vons, Pavilions and Safeway, decided on the shift in early December, according to a spokesman.

“Albertsons Companies made the strategic decision to discontinue using our own home delivery fleet of trucks in select locations, including Southern California, beginning February 27, 2021,” said spokesman Andrew Whelan in an emailed statement. “We will transition that portion of our eCommerce operations to third-party logistics providers who specialize in that service.”

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/albertsons-vons-shifting-to-third-party-grocery-delivery-in-california-elsewhere-11609811463

[BrightKnight]

2. I think they had supply issues. I used it a lot before Covid but

they rarely have much now. The inventory is very limited and inconsistent. They do have other overlapping options. Prime Now and Whole foods are much better. Also, a lot of the stuff is more likely to be available from Amazon directly.

Instacart, TomThumb, Wallmart are good options online. I think they lost interest in it a while ago.

[Shermann]

3. I'm impressed with Walmart's website

I've always used it for price-checking. If they have everything fairly priced, I may as well place the order there.

Amazon does a great job with packing. You'd get these sturdier cardboard boxes with Pantry, although there is always some breakage. We'll see how Walmart compares.

[Arkansas Granny]

4. Maybe it's just me, but I've noticed fewer choices recently when using Pantry.

I've been getting most of my groceries lately using Insta-Cart. So far, so good.

[ananda]

5. I use either Amazon Fresh or WF -- delivery services.

They both work well.

No problems.

[Shermann]

7. The Walmart Plus subscription seems like a waste

Looks like $84 / year. You get free shipping anyway on orders of $35, which really isn't a very large order. So free shipping on smaller orders doesn't appeal to me very much.

[PatSeg]

8. I've been using Peapod where I live

They have an excellent website and the delivery service has been outstanding.

[LisaL]

9. There is prime now, which includes amazon prime and amazon whole foods.

There is also amazon fresh. I still can't figure out what is the difference between amazon fresh and amazon prime.
I tried some other delivery services and half of what I ordered would end up being out of stock. At least with amazon prime, they mostly know what is in stock or not. And if they are out of stock, they provide you with an option to agree or decline substitution.

[Shermann]

10. Well I'm not impressed so far

All items were in stock when my order was placed, which was just enough to get free 2-day shipping.

However one of the items appears to have become unavailable.

My order was delayed without explanation. Then, after a week, the WHOLE order was cancelled due to "high demand".

Why cancel the whole order??

[Shermann]

11. Well I resubmitted the order

The order arrived after two business days. There was no breakage, well packed, no issues.

So they are 1 for 2.