What do you get when you cross a Kroger with a Walgreens?
You get, potentially, a win-win scenario.
As just announced, the retailers are testing the potential of using Walgreens stores as pickup sites for Kroger.com purchases. In theory, the alliance could help Walgreens generate more foot traffic inside its stores, while Kroger could benefit from additional—and more proximal—outposts for distributing its goods to digital shoppers.
The concept is presently being tested at 13 Walgreens in northern Kentucky, naturally raising the question:
Well...what’s it look like?
See Also: An Inside Look at Amazon's 4-Star Store...and What Shoppers Think of It
Instant Video: Kroger-Walgreens Pickup
Retail-auditing and insights firm Field Agent recruited five shoppers to try the new Kroger-Walgreens pickup service, capture photos and video of it, and share their opinions about the service. All agents were first time users of Kroger-Walgreens pickup, though four-of-five had used Kroger pickup in the past.
Agents were required to shop online at Kroger.com for at least $10 worth of groceries/household consumables, including one fresh fruit or vegetable and one cold item (e.g., milk, fresh meat), for pickup at a participating Walgreens.
One thing worth noting: It seems customers may opt to pick up their Kroger purchases inside or outside Walgreens stores. As you'll see, however, all our agents used the curbside pickup option.
The video below offers sights and sounds from the earliest days of the Kroger-Walgreens pickup partnership.
Scroll even further down for ratings and feedback from these shoppers.
User Feedback on Kroger-Walgreens Pickup
We asked all five participants a series of questions about their inaugural experience with Kroger-Walgreens pickup. Here are some highlights:
- Words used by more than one participant to describe Kroger-Walgreens pickup: "easy," "quick," and "convenient."
- Two participants said it took approximately 1-2 minutes to receive their order at the Walgreens pickup site (i.e., from the moment they checked-in). Two others reported a 3-4 minute wait time and one a 5-6 minute wait time.
- The pickup site received four “very good” ratings and one “good” rating on the following dimensions: ease of checking-in at the store, navigating/using the pickup site, visual appeal of the pickup site, and service/competence of employees.
- All five participants said their order was correct the first time.
- All users said their produce was either “extremely” or “very fresh,” and all participants rated their cold items “just right” with respect to temperature.
- Asked if they’ll use Kroger-Walgreens pickup again in the future, two answered “completely likely,” two “moderately likely,” and one “not very likely.”
- Two of five said they prefer using Kroger-Walgreens pickup over shopping in-store at Kroger or shopping online at Kroger.com for pickup at a Kroger store.
Wrapping Up
It’s still to be seen how shoppers will respond to Kroger-Walgreens pickup. But with the experiences of these five participants serving as a basic indication, we expect shoppers will like Kroger-Walgreens pickup mainly for its—let’s say—minimalism.
The Walgreens parking lot may be more inviting than the Kroger parking lot—and shoppers could find they save time with the quicker in-and-out. As one shopper wrote, “Walgreens is more convenient than Kroger." Kroger-Walgreens pickup could also prove to be an added convenience for shoppers who need something specifically from the drug store. “This will be nice if I have to fill a prescription…,” another said.
Conversely, while Walgreens largely benefits from its prime location on high-traffic corners, this may prove a turn-off to some shoppers considering using Kroger-Walgreens pickup. One participant cited “Walgreens corner parking lot...on two busy streets" as a "dislike" about the service. Others may simply fail to see, in the words of one shopper, the "real benefit" of buying from Kroger.com for pick up, not at Kroger, but at Walgreens.
Time will tell, of course, how the masses of shoppers respond to this partnership between a grocery giant and a pharmacy giant. Time. will. tell.
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