Meijer Surprises More than 200 Customers with Free Grocery Pickup Order
Busy customers picking up groceries at their local Meijer stores were welcomed with a pleasant holiday surprise last weekend. While parked at their designated Pickup spot, Meijer team members rolled out their orders and – from a socially-safe distance – shared the good news that their orders were free.
With a “Happy Thanksgiving” and a $50 coupon towards their next order, the customers were on their way.
“You have no idea how much this means to us,” said Sarah Swinney, a customer at the Meijer store in McHenry, Ill. “We just had a baby, and this help is going to make a big difference for our Thanksgiving holiday. I wish I could hug you.”
The Meijer Pickup surprise event is the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer’s way of showing its Pickup customers how much they are appreciated, especially during a Pandemic when the company has seen an unprecedented increase in the use of the program. Some of the surprises featured holiday music, bouquets of flowers and Meijer team members dressed in holiday attire. The highlights can be seen on a video being shared on various social channels.
“This year has been challenging for everyone, so we wanted to show our appreciation to some of those customers who have trusted us to do their essential shopping,” said Derek Steele, Vice President of Customer Strategy for Meijer. “Surprising them as they picked up groceries in preparation of their Thanksgiving meals seemed like an ideal time to do something special.”
In all, 234 stores selected one lucky customer to receive their entire order, plus a $50 coupon towards the next time they schedule a pickup from the Meijer.com site. Once the groceries were placed in their car, each Store Director surprised the Meijer team member who shopped the Pickup order with a $100 gift card.
“Our team members step up every day with a ‘customer first’ attitude and are truly heroes, not just in our eyes, but in the eyes of their communities,” Steele said.
In October, Meijer announced that it’s now offering its Meijer Pickup service free on orders more than $50 at no charge. The new program, which does not require membership, offers the same as in-store pricing and includes access to weekly sales items. Customers order online here where they can keep track of their total basket, use mPerks rewards and coupons, note any preferences and choose an available time for pickup. Then the customer texts when they arrive at the store and park in an assigned area.
Due to reduced hours during the pandemic, the Meijer Pickup service is available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week.