Hy-Vee is making grocery runs even shorter for Jefferson City shoppers - as short as the distance to the front door.
The West Truman Boulevard grocery store began offering free same-day delivery or in-store pickup for $100 online shopping orders over the last couple of weeks.
"We've always had online shopping, but there was a fee to shop it and deliver it," said General Manager Rod Dolph. "If a customer spends $100 or more with this, we shop it and deliver it for free.
"It's just another way to compete in our market where no one else is competing. With the way people's schedules are - with no time - this is just ideal."
Home delivery is available for the 65109 and 65101 zip codes, and possibly for some nearby communities outside of those zip codes.
"We really look at every order and decide case by case on if it's too far to deliver or not," Dolph said.
Online orders placed by 8 a.m. will be delivered by the afternoon of the same day. Most orders will be delivered about four hours from order time, Dolph said. Store pickup orders also will be ready within four hours, and two parking spots are designated at the store for pickup orders.
Shoppers who want to use these services without making a $100 purchase can still use home delivery for a $4.99 fee or in-store pickup for a $2.95 fee.
The new program has already seen some use even in its beginning stages.
"We had 11 in the first week. We haven't even started advertising it yet," Dolph said, noting the local Hy-Vee had taken another seven delivery orders through the middle of last week.
Hy-Vee's online shopping system offers the same grocery items available in store at hyveeaislesonline.com.
Hy-Vee will make another addition to the Jefferson City store this fall by partnering with Capital Region Medical Center for the Capital Region Quick Care clinic.
The clinic, slated for an October opening, will offer basic health-care services like flu shots.
"The idea is to put health care where people are living in their day-to-day lives," said Lindsay Huhman, Capital Region marketing director. "If you've got kids or are just kind of on the go all the time and you do need to get a flu shot or something like that, it's a nice alternative. Or, if you don't have a primary care physician, that's where it comes in, too."
The Capital Region Quick Care clinic will operate under the same staffing model as the University of Missouri Quick Care clinics in Columbia Hy-Vee locations, with care provided primarily by nurse practitioners. Huhman said the clinic will operate similar to an urgent care clinic and is designed to treat very simple colds, coughs, fever, pink eye and earaches. The clinic will not handle fractures or sprains and will be strictly a walk-in clinic.
The clinic will be located across from Hy-Vee's existing pharmacy and Huhman said they are expecting an opening by fall.
"The more services we can offer our customer, it just makes for a better shopping experience," Dolph said.