Whole Foods customers are not happy and it has something to do with the major increase in the delivery fee for groceries ordered on Amazon Prime. Whole Foods used to offer free delivery through Amazon, now loyal customers must pay a $9.95 delivery fee.
Since the delivery fee change on Oct. 25, orders have since plummeted because customers rather not pay another $10 for grocery delivery. An employee said the drastic decrease of groceries went from 185 orders per hour to only 40 at a main location in NYC. However, a Whole Foods spokesperson said the numbers were “grossly inaccurate.” He has yet to give a specific number.
Whole Foods is already known for being a pricey store, but with matching pricey delivery fees, it makes it very difficult for some. They are also facing top competition from competitors like Instacart and Walmart that offer free delivery for annual memberships. Instacart offers free delivery to those that pay an annual fee of $100. Walmart does the same. Now Whole Foods wants customers to pay $10 no matter the amount. Amazon Prime customers have to spend over $35 to receive free delivery from Whole Foods.
According to the New York Post, “Whole Foods said it added the fee instead of raising prices. It might have turned off some customers for good with its new delivery fee….” Apparently, the company had no choice, it was losing money because of the service.
Customers aren’t the only ones suffering, so have employees. The number of employees has shrunk since the online orders are not as popular at least at the NYC location. Whole Foods has slashed the number of employees that would typically handle online orders.
