Amazon's giant early foray into grocery delivery called Amazon Prime Pantry, is no longer available. The company has launched Prime Pantry for household items and for non-perishable food and snacks back in 2014, and this service has given customers a way to stock up on items that they need for their homes that do not usually have free shipping.
On January 6, Amazon announced that they will shut down the service for good.
Amazon Prime Pantry gets shut down
A spokesperson of Amazon told Bloomberg that the thousands of products that was previously available under the Pantry banner have been folded into Amazon's main retail site.
When the Pantry was first introduced, it allowed Amazon Prime members to ship up to 45 pounds worth of household essentials in one massive box for a $6 flat fee that is added on top of their subscription.
In 2018, Amazon changed the way that it works, and they offered it to buyers for $5 a month as a subscription service for unlimited deliveries.
The customers who have been paying $5 every month for it apparently received a notification about its shutdown back in December 2020, along with refund for the subscription, according to Engadgets.
According to the Amazon spokesperson's statement, they have decided to transfer Amazon Pantry selection to the main Amazon store as part of their commitment to deliver the best customer service experience and so that customers can get household products faster, without having to pay for an extra subscription or so that they no longer need to purchase a requirement.
In the middle of lockdowns in 2020 that was related to the coronavirus, Amazon had to suspend Pantry deliveries because of a high volume of orders.
It is not clear if Pantry orders have thinned out since then or if it is just logistically and financially easier for Amazon to sell non-perishable grocery items through its main site. Amazon's fresh food delivery service is still very much active, and it still offers free 2-hour deliveries with Prime.
Online grocery service
Amazon Prime Pantry is not the only online grocery service that was used by many during coronavirus-related lockdowns. Walmart and Yahoo Mail has launched a service that can help you check grocery shopping off of your list.
The online pickup and delivery service of Walmart allows you to shop online from the comfort of your home and you can add everything from canned goods, condiments, produce, snacks and more.
You can go to your local Walmart to get the items that you have ordered and pick it up at the curbside so you don't have to get out of your car or you can have all of your items delivered to your doorstep so that you don't have to step out of your home.
Aside from Walmart's online grocery option, you can use Yahoo Mail user to multitask. The next time that you are tracking emails in your inbox, you can check for a blue Walmart banner. From there, you can add items to your online cart and you can take advantage of the same pickup and delivery service.
Related Article: COVID-19: Buying Grocery Items in the Time of Pandemic; Here's How to Stay Safe
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Written by Sieeka Khan
