Publix begins offering curbside pickup at select pharmacies

Dive Brief:

Publix Pharmacy has rolled out curbside pickup to select Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Virginia locations, with plans to expand the service to North Carolina and South Carolina pharmacies at a later date, according to a Wednesday press release from the grocer.
After prepaying for their prescription costs and copays, customers can request curbside pickup at the pharmacy locations through Publix Pharmacy’s mobile app or online. The free service will run during Publix Pharmacy’s typical hours of operation.
This expansion into pickup service comes at a time when fear of COVID-19 persists and consumers continue to seek out these convenient, contactless shopping options.

Dive Insight:

Publix Pharmacy’s new curbside pickup service builds on the grocery chain’s efforts to give customers more options for how they want to shop and get e-commerce orders fulfilled.

“Our customers enjoy the convenience of curbside pickup for their grocery orders, so we are excited to add prescriptions to that offering,” Dain Rusk, Publix’s vice president of pharmacy, said in the press release.

Publix already offers grocery customers on its main site the ability to place orders for prepared food, meals, platters and its famous subs for in-store pickup. The chain also offers delivery and curbside pickup through Instacart.

In April, Publix launched its 15-minute grocery delivery service in partnership with Instacart. This technology, first offered in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood and now available in multiple Florida locations, utilizes “nano-fulfillment” centers. In September of last year, Publix and Instacart also teamed up to launch Publix Quick Picks, a convenience service with delivery in as fast as 30 minutes.

The curbside pickup option for its pharmacies is another example of how Publix is advancing in its e-commerce shopping experience.

With growing inflation driving prices up and most delivery services including extra fees and product markups, the lack of fees in Publix Pharmacy’s curbside pickup may attract more customers to take advantage of this new offering.