By George Anderson
Its corporate slogan, "It's About Time," might mean Pathmark's new online shopping service will save consumers what they have too little of. On the other hand, it might also mean "It's About Time" the grocery chain had a service similar to that offered by a number of its main competitors in the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan areas, such as Shop-Rite, Stop & Shop and Acme.
Pathmark announced the rollout of online shopping in two stores in Middletown and Edgewater, NJ. A third store in Lawnside, NJ will begin offering online shopping shortly.
Visitors to pathmark.com will be able to place orders 24/7 and pick them up between 10:00 and 7:30 weekdays and 9:00 to 4:30 on weekends. Shoppers will be charged $10.00 to use the service.
Grant McLoughlin, senior vice president of advertising for Pathmark, said in a released statement, "We are excited about the opportunity to provide our customers with on-line shopping. This offering gives the customer who is constrained by time another option to traditional supermarket shopping, enabling them to devote the time savings to another aspect of their lives."
Moderator's Comment: What is your reaction to Pathmark getting into the online grocery business? What will Pathmark need to do to achieve success in this venture? - George Anderson - Moderator