Amazon Fresh

Just when I started to miss the cheap food delivery service from Sherpas and free grocery delivery service from CityShop back in Shanghai, I noticed a huge truck stopped by the side of our apartment building, grocery bags being delivered to the reception desk. Hah, who is this grocery angel? The side of the truck says Amazon Fresh.

First time I did was to google Amazon Fresh after I got back home.  Some keywords jumped into my eyes:

* Subsidiary of Amazon.com - brand recognition, meaning good quality & good service

* Same day home delivery (by 10pm) or pre-dawn next day delivery (by 6am)- confirmation of good service

* Free attended doorstep delivery for any order over $125 and free unattended doorstep delivery for any order over $75 - Answer to the most asked question - How much does it cost?  0!! :) $75 equals RMB510, which may sound a lot. But it actually not too hard to reach considering mushrooms are $3.99 per pound (less than one Jin), salmon is over $10 per pound, strawberries are $4.99 per pound, grapes are $3.99 per pound...

* No tips for the delivery guy - as a person from a non-tipping country, "should I tip" is my frequent question. It's great to know the customers are not obliged to tip.

* Quality assurance - Well, I believe in Amazon. That says everything.

BUT, how expensive are grocery items listed on Amazon Fresh? Are they more or less expensive then those carried by Wholefoods, Safeway or QFC?  There isn't a quick answer to this one, so I did some comparison myself. I would say Amazon Fresh is definitely less expensive than the regular price of Wholefoods. For example, Steelhead Salmon fillet is sold for $10.99 per pound, Wholefoods usually sell it for over $12. Even when on sales, this salmon fillet is about $9.59 per pound. Amazon Fresh actually offers 15% off if you choose automatic delivery and the price goes down to $9.35. Gala apple is sold for $1.99 per pound at Wholefoods, but $1.53 at Amazon Fresh & also eligible for another 15% off for automatic delivery.

I will surely give Amazon Fresh a try then.