BJ's Wholesale Club said yesterday that it is giving its members a pick-up option at all of its 213 locations, allowing them to buy without actually wandering up and down the aisles.
The announcement says that members can sign onto the retailer's website to reserve items, which then will be picked by an employee, placed in a shopping cart and left at the service desk. An email is sent to the member, who then can go into the store, pay for the items and take them home.
Orders placed before 1 pm will be available for same-day pick-up.
Bari Harlam, executive vice president of marketing and membership for BJ's, describes it as "total freedom of choice" combining "the at-home convenience of online shopping, including guaranteed product availability and our affordable pricing, without the wait for shipping and delivery."
The announcement says that members can sign onto the retailer's website to reserve items, which then will be picked by an employee, placed in a shopping cart and left at the service desk. An email is sent to the member, who then can go into the store, pay for the items and take them home.
Orders placed before 1 pm will be available for same-day pick-up.
Bari Harlam, executive vice president of marketing and membership for BJ's, describes it as "total freedom of choice" combining "the at-home convenience of online shopping, including guaranteed product availability and our affordable pricing, without the wait for shipping and delivery."
- KC's View:
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I know they say that half a loaf is better than none, but this option just strikes me as half baked. I'm not sure why BJ's wouldn't allow members to pay for the items online and then have an employee take them out to the car when the member rolls up at a delivery depot ... except that maybe it seemed too hard.
If you're gonna jump into the e-commerce pool, you have to actually jump in ... not just stick a toe in the water in a way that is so hesitant that it hardly creates a ripple.
I could be wrong, but this strikes me as something less than total freedom of choice.
