Peapod by Giant: A Review and Code for My Readers!

Two weeks ago I took a tour through the local Peapod by Giant warehouse with a group of local mom bloggers. I have long wanted to ditch the weekly grocery shop. Grocery shopping is time consuming. As I shop the aisles, I am unable to resist certain items…read: pre-packaged food items. I see the colorful cartons as a way to make dinner prep easy. If you ate dinner at my house, you would see that I do cook with pre-packaged food items and from scratch items. I know that if I shopped from my home I would be less tempted by the shiny packages.

Here’s what I found out on my tour of the Peapod warehouse. I wrote this part of the post on my phone…#VerizonPalmPrePlus…such a fabulous and time-saving use of technology.

The Facts

60 percent of customers shop from their previous Peapod shopping lists
Purchased items are packed with like items. Produce packed with produce. Deli with deli. No squishing of items. Perishable items are packed in styrofoam coolers with dry ice packs. The coolers and boxes can be left out when your next delivery is scheduled.
The Peapod by Giant delivery fee is $8.95.
There is a $1 savings if use direct deposit.
Over 10,000 items in the Peapod facility. 1,500 items on sale each week. I walked among the stacks, aisles, and chill rooms packed with products on the tour.
Loyal customers can become VIPea. VIPea have access to specials.
Delivery…shop whenever you want at peapod.com plus have your item delivered when you want (customers may have to choose a delivery time from a list of already scheduled deliveries).
My delivery area is not covered. I added my e-mail address to Peapod, so that I will be notified when my zip code is added to the delivery area.
You can place an order when you want to — don’t have to have a regular delivery date. I don’t do a weekly grocery shop, so this flexibility would work for me.
There is a fuel surcharge of 38 cents in effect based on price of fuel for each order.
What is the busiest time on Peapod one blogger on our tour asked? 8-10 p.m.
Are you social media savvy or want to be? Check out Facebook special offers. Website url: www.Peapod.com. Twitter: Twitter.com/peapoddelivers.

Dietary and Special Needs

Peapod customers can customize their online lists by dietary needs with the Nutrifilter. Dietary needs include: gluten free, dairy free, egg free, peanut free, and USDA low sodium to name a few.

Savings and Coupons

Customers can use Giant Bonus cards.
Customers can search for specials for bigger savings. View specials by dept. This week blueberries and blackberries are on sale 2 for $5.
Peapod by Giant wants to empower the grocery shopper by showing what is on sale. Most people want to shop smarter and cheaper. Red flag shows what is on sale.
Peapod customers can use coupons.com. Go to Specials tab–Printable Coupons for a link to Coupons.com.
Coupons can be clipped at home and given to driver for discounts. Coupons will be credited to customer’s account. Note: Coupons cannot doubled like at Giant store.

Recipes or What’s for Dinner?

Need an idea for what to make and what to buy for dinner. See recipes. I did notice that the ingredients listed in the recipes don’t link back to the Peapod shopping list.
We were treated to a great discourse on produce courtesy of Giant’s produce guy: Tony. Tony blogs about all things product. I left with a bag of the most perfect fruit ever. The strawberries were huge.
If you find an item not listed on Peapod.com, you can request the item via the website or on Facebook.

My takeaway from the blogger tour of Peapod was this: Peapod by Giant eliminates the impulse buys…the must-have because it is on the shelf purchases…the food items spotted by your kids while you shop.

Iphone User? Peapod will alphatest a grocery shopping app. The Beta test will be in June. The iphone app should be ready for customers in August.

Code for My Readers: I have a coupon code to share with you. For first-time Peapod customers, use the code BLOG2010 to save $15 off first order (limit 1 per household). This offer expires June 30, 2010.