For most people out there, shopping for food items and groceries is a very important part of their routines. And as consumers are also becoming more aware of the source, quality, and price of their food items, we start wondering about two of the largest grocery chains in the world.
As more and more retailers are moving online, the options for you to choose from are also increasing. With Amazon’s recent acquisition of Whole Foods, it has a lot of people wondering what the difference is between their Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods. And which option is best for you.
Let’s dive in and see what the major differences between Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods are…
What Are The Differences Between Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods
You might ask yourself, why would Amazon acquire Whole Foods when it already had Amazon Fresh in its pipeline? Wouldn’t both of them compete with one another?
Actually not. Both of these markets are intended to target different customers and they aren’t direct competitors.
While Whole Foods is meant to sell organic, high quality groceries to health-conscious consumers at a higher price point, Amazon Fresh on the other hand is meant for consumers looking for a wider variety of options at all price points.
Therefore, through both of these brands, Amazon intends to reach a wider market where no matter what preferences a consumer has, it can target them.
On top of this if you are a member of Amazon Prime, you get to enjoy perks while shopping from both of these services. As you might know, Amazon Fresh only started as an online service, something through which you could get groceries and fresh vegetable delivered right to your doorsteps from both local and international brands.
This is changing slowly now that Amazon Fresh also has brick and mortar stores. Similarly, you can also order online from both Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh online.
If you do choose to order online, you will get a lot of perks if you are a member of Amazon Prime. For example, Prime members can enjoy free 2-hour delivery for any order above $35 but note that this is only available in some locations.
You can also choose the pickup option if you are a prime member and the beautiful feature is that there is no minimum order requirement for this.
Therefore, if you are on a budget and you don’t really care a lot if your food items are organic or not, then Amazon fresh is an excellent choice for you.
On the other hand if you are really health conscious and you don’t want to have anything which is not organic then Whole Foods is where you should shop from.
What Are The Advantages Of Shopping At Amazon Fresh?
One of the other major differences between shopping from Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods was the lack of brick-and-mortar stores for Amazon Fresh. Earlier, if you ordered anything from Whole Foods, it would be picked up from the local Whole Foods stores and delivered right to your doorsteps.
On the other hand, if you had ordered anything from Amazon Fresh, it would be picked up from an Amazon Warehouses or the registered local sellers.
This changed last year in August 2020, when Amazon launched its first physical brick and mortar store for Amazon Fresh in Woodland Hills, CA. This was meant to be a concept store which integrated online shopping with physical stores, and it could potentially usher in a new generation of grocery stores.
Amazon has commented that it plans to open a lot more Amazon Fresh Stores all over the country as well as internationally. But the major feature of these stores is how they have integrated and used technology.
The physical stores are full of high-tech features like auto checkouts, Alexa kiosks and Amazon Dash carts. Let’s go through them one by one.
Alexa Kiosks
One of the biggest upgrades to your grocery shopping experience is the addition of Alexa kiosks in the store. You can ask Alexa in the middle of the store about where a certain food item is kept, and it will direct you to the correct isle.
On top of this you can also ask Alexa about dinner ideas, how to pair certain food items and you can even ask for certain food facts like the nutritional value of a certain food item.
And the features don’t just stop there, you can start a grocery shopping list with Alexa in your house and continue adding items while you are in the store with the help of Dash Carts.
As you keep adding items in your cart, they will automatically keep getting ticked off from your list.
This adds a whole new dimension to your grocery shopping experience which cannot be found anywhere else.
Auto Checkouts With Amazon Dash Carts
Are you tired of standing in lines during checkout? A lot of times this step takes more time than the actual shopping. Well Amazon fresh stores will take care of this for you. You can entirely skip the checkout lines using Amazon Dash carts.
Using algorithms and sensors, the Amazon Dash carts can identify the items you have in your carts and keep ticking them off from your Alexa shopping lists. You can see the items which are there in your carts through the giant screen on the cart and you can even apply coupons directly to the carts.
There are specific Dash cart lines in the store, and you don’t have to wait in line anywhere. When you exit the stores, the final amount will automatically be charged to your registered credit card.
To use Amazon Dash carts, you simply have to open the QR code on your Amazon app on the phone and scan it using your dash cart. After this simply add the items to your cart by scanning the QR codes on the items.
If the light turns orange, you will have to re-scan the item. Once you put the items in your cart, you have to confirm the weight and simply walk out the store.
Hub For Amazon Pickups and Returns
Another great feature about Amazon Fresh stores is that they are not just grocery stores, they also act like an amazon warehouse from which you can pick up your orders which you had placed online through Amazon and give the items for returns.
You no longer need the original packaging for returning the items.
So, with one move, you can finish your grocery shopping and pick up your Amazon orders or give your items for returns without any hassle. Even if your area doesn’t have a physical Amazon Fresh store yet, you can simply order the items you need online and get it delivered right to your doorsteps.
Want to learn more about Amazon Fresh? Make sure to read these next to learn if Amazon Fresh is included in Prime, how to return Amazon Fresh totes, and do you tip Amazon Fresh drivers
Conclusion..
It is clear that Amazon is trying to create a one-stop shop for all your needs and it is clearly working out.
Both Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh are owned by Amazon and you can get pretty much anything you want from these stores.
The choice between the two depends on your shopping preferences and to some extent your budgets. But nevertheless, both of these options are excellent places to get your daily groceries from.