MATTOON -- Mary Edwards has earned herself a new nickname among her co-workers: the official online shopper.
As an employee at the County Market in Mattoon, it’s not the most unusual name for the line of work. What makes it different though is that Edwards is not shopping for herself.
Instead, Edwards is the store manager of Rosie, the online and mobile shopping application that allows customers to shop from home and pick up it up later.
Niemann Foods, the parent company of County Market, launched a ‘Click & Go’ service earlier this year at its Charleston and Mattoon locations, allowing customers to go online and fill out their grocery lists. Once ordered, an employee takes a cart and fills out the list, and the selected items are made available for pick-up at a designated time.
Andrew Taber, assistant manager of the Mattoon County Market, said he was on-board when he learned their store had been chosen as part of the pilot program.
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“You’re seeing the industry going this way,” he said. “Like horses went to trains which went to cars, it’s just the way things change.”
Since its official launch in January, Edwards said the program has developed some regulars, as well as those intrigued by the system.
Among those who have given the program a turn is Mike Hickman.
A resident of Gays, Hickman said mobility has been an issue for him since he recently underwent triple-bypass surgery. The idea of moving through the aisles of the grocery store concerned him, so he decided to try out the online pick-up service.
After two times doing it, Hickman said the convenience made it a no-brainer.
“It’s simple for me and it’s convenient to just drive in, get your stuff, and get back home,” he said.
While County Market has begun testing the idea in Central Illinois, it’s something that other grocers have been trending toward across the country.
Kroger has tested a similar program at nearly 200 locations across the country, mainly focused on stores in its homebase of Cincinnati and in major cities such as Denver and Portland.
Both Walmart and Target have announced in the last few months plans to invest up to $1 billion toward developing digital and online shopping programs.
The drive for online not only comes from an opportunity to develop goodwill and convenience for customers, but to cut into some of the online market that has come to be dominated by tech giants such as Amazon, whose home delivery service have become popular alternatives for more urban residents.
But for rural municipalities across Central Illinois, the idea of online shopping is a more novel concept. Edwards said they get an average of five to seven customers a week who use the online service. The customers range from newbies intrigued by the idea of in-store pick-up and more regular customers, who Edwards said are often mothers who prefer the pick-up option over the alternative.
“The idea of going through the store for an hour with a few children is not preferred by some,” she said with a laugh. “They can just come through the drive-through, pick-up dinner and be home in half that time and without the trouble that comes with shopping with kids.”
It remains to be seen whether Niemann Foods will expand the program to other stores in Central Illinois, Taber said he could see online orders and pick-up and possibly even delivery becoming the norm.
“We’re still probably years down the road from that happening, but it’s still a good start what we’re doing here,” said Taber.
