Amazon brings grocery pickup to Whole Foods

Shoppers will be able to order eggs, milk and more on the Prime Now app

NEW YORK» Amazon, known for bringing items to the homes of shoppers, is adding a curbside pickup option at Whole Foods for Prime members.

Shoppers will be able to order eggs, milk and other groceries on the Prime Now app, park in reserved spaces at the store and then workers will place the items in their cars.

Curbside grocery pickup is a feature that Walmart, Kroger and other grocers have been expanding to make shopping more convenient and to boost their sales.

At Walmart, for example, the service has been a major driver of its online sales growth.

The Whole Foods move announced Wednesday is the latest by Seattle-based Amazon.com Inc. since it took control of the grocery chain a year ago.

Many of the changes have been for its Prime members, who pay $119 per year or $12.99 per month.

Prime members can get special discounts at Whole Foods or order two-hour deliveries through Prime Now at certain stores.

The service started Wednesday at its stores in Sacramento, Calif., and in Virginia Beach, Va. It will expand to more cities this year.

Orders of $35 and up are free if the pickup is made within an hour.

There is a fee of $4.99 for those who want to pick up items within 30 minutes of ordering.

And shoppers must use the Prime Now app to let Whole Foods know they are on their way or are in the parking lot.