Amazon’s Prime Savings To Bow At Half Of Whole Foods Market Stores

The Prime will now include … prime steak.

Amazon and its recently acquired Whole Foods grocery unit said on Monday (June 11) that savings tied to Prime membership will come to more stores across the United States this week. The rollout, starting on Wednesday, June 13, will mean that about half of the stores in the grocer’s pantheon will offer as much as 10 percent off on sale items at Whole Foods, TechCrunch reported.

Specifically, the rollout will embrace 10 additional stores across Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina and Washington State. The eCommerce giant said that with the expansion, the program will reach roughly half of Whole Foods Market locations by this week. The latest push comes after a mid-May announcement that the discounts would be available to all stores in an expansion planned through the summer.

TechCrunch noted the expansion has been “moving at a faster pace than planned, it seems.” Indeed, the company has stated that the Prime rollout has been accelerated, which has in turn been linked to what the company has said is “positive customer feedback and success” through the past month.

And yet, noted TechCrunch, the competitive landscape is heating up, as Walmart is offering relatively more affordable grocery items, and Instacart and other online grocers are looking for their share of wallet. Target is also gunning for traction in the space as it boosts efforts with Shipt, its online grocery delivery service, with nationwide presence in its crosshairs. TechCrunch noted that Amazon needs to be more competitive in the space, with a call to lower prices and cement consumer loyalty.

To use the Prime feature, users give their Amazon account phone numbers at checkout or can utilize the Whole Foods app. Two-hour delivery for orders exceeding $35 are free for Prime members, a feature that will also reach more U.S. cities this year.