Amazon Fresh, the self-branded grocery chain from online retail giant Amazon, recently announced a change to its delivery policy. Customers who wish to have their groceries delivered for free will now need to place an order of at least $150.
This change, which will go into effect on February 28th, means that customers who place orders below the $150 threshold will now be charged a service fee. Up until now, Amazon Prime customers have been able to enjoy free delivery from the company for orders of at least $35. That’s a huge increase to cross the free delivery threshold.
So, what will you have to pay if you don’t happen to have an order of $150? Amazon says that “orders between $100 and $150 will have a $3.95 delivery fee, orders between $50 and $100 will have a $6.95 fee, and orders under $50 will have a $9.95 fee.”
In a statement to The Verge, Amazon spokesperson Lara Hendrickson said that the company is making the move in order to “help keep prices low in our online and physical grocery stores.” According to Hendrickson, customers will be able to opt for a longer delivery window in order to cut that fee down a bit.
“We’re introducing a service fee on some Amazon Fresh delivery orders to help keep prices low in our online and physical grocery stores as we better cover grocery delivery costs and continue to enable offering a consistent, fast, and high-quality delivery experience. We will continue to offer convenient two-hour delivery windows for all orders, and customers in some areas will be able to select a longer delivery window for a reduced fee.”
Today’s news comes about a month after the company started drone deliveries in California and Texas. Now, Amazon Air is making drone deliveries in Lockeford, California, and College Station, Texas.
