Circle K available now on UberEats
Customers could pay two or three times more for convenience
Uber Eats customers in four Florida cities can now use the app if they run out of milk at home, crave a doughnut or need a shave.
But be prepared to pay as much as two or three times more for the convenience.
Candy, drinks and personal hygiene products like shaving kits are available from Circle K as part of a pilot program between the convenience store chain and Uber in Orlando, Daytona Beach, Tampa and Fort Lauderdale.
This is the first time users of the restaurant-delivery app in the United States have been able to get essentials brought to them from a convenience store.
“At Uber, we’re super focused on becoming a platform for everyone’s everyday life,” said Martine Eshkenazi, strategic initiatives lead with Uber Eats. “We always want to think about how we can do more for our customers.”
The test, which rolled out in Florida in October, is now taking place at 32 Circle K stores in the four cities. There are 12 Circle K stores in the Orlando market and five in the Daytona Beach area involved.
Beer and wine are available, with an identification check, but tobacco and over-the-counter medicine are not on the app. Uber Eats lists its other Circle K offerings under categories such as sandwiches, grocery, beverages, snacks and coffee.
The most popular orders so far have been for Polar Pop drinks, doughnuts and Reese’s Peanut
Butter Cups, Eshkenazi said.
Delivered products will cost much more than the standard Circle K price. A four-pack of those Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, listed at $2.69, ends up being $8.34 with fees and a 15% tip. A $4.79 shaving kit, with those charges, ends up at $11.29.
A gallon of Borden whole milk costs $13.24, and a doughnut ends up costing more than $6.
Those prices include a charge for small orders, which goes away if you order more items.
A sign on the Circle K at 2704 S. Ferncreek Ave., Orlando, offers $5 off for new Uber Eats customers who use a “CIRCLEK” promotional code.
While alcohol will only be available when it is legally able to be sold, there are no other restrictions for delivery from Circle K stores that are open around the clock.
Circle K employees put together the orders for the drivers to pick up. The convenience store chain is working with existing staff during the pilot, but could potentially add employees for online deliveries if it is successful, said Circle K marketing manager Jessica Steinhoff.
While the pilot is taking place in Florida, Circle K does hope that it will launch nationally, she said.
“We must remain competitive and provide tangible new services to our customer base,” Steinhoff said. “We’re here to make their life simpler and more satisfying when they are short on time.”
The Circle K pilot comes as Uber announced in October an agreement to acquire majority ownership of online grocery provider Cornershop, which operates in Toronto, Mexico, Chile and Peru.
Eshkenazi said the acquisition and the Circle K pilot are not related.