Target Rolls Out Grocery Pickup Nationwide As Competition Mounts

The grocery wars just got a little hotter, with Target rolling out pickup and drive-up service at 1,500 stores across the country.

Target announced Thursday (Aug. 20) its new grocery pickup and drive-up service will now be available at just under 85 percent of its stores across the country, with a major expansion of its “pickup assortment” that customers are able to order to include thousands of fresh food and frozen grocery items.

The move comes as rivals ranging from Walmart to Kroger beef up their online ordering, pickup and delivery services to respond to the vast changes wrought by COVID-19 in the shopping and retail landscape.

Customers can order items on either Target.com or on the Target app. Those preferring a contactless option are able to choose drive-up and have a store employee wheel out their order to their cars.

In keeping with the times, Target is stressing safety alongside convenience.

“It’s yet another way we’re making Target America’s easiest — and safest — place to shop,” the big box giant touted in announcing the nationwide rollout of its new pickup grocery service.

The shift to online shopping and related services, like the new order pickup and drive-up, are also helping fuel strong revenue growth for Target.

Comparable store sales shot up 24.3 percent in the second quarter, breaking a company record, while digital sales rocketed 195 percent over the same quarter in 2019, PYMNTS recently reported.

Target initially began to roll out its new pickup and drive up service in June, when the new offering made its debut at 400 of the chain’s Midwestern stores.

The new pickup and drive-up service represents an about-face for Target, which initially shelved plans for grocery pickup during the early days of the pandemic out of concern over the potential health risks.

By May, Target had reversed course and began pushing ahead in earnest with the development of its new grocery shopping option.