Online grocery services have come and gone, but Peapod remains. The company, which was founded in 1989, recently expanded its coverage area to include Marion, Hamilton, Hendricks and Johnson counties in Indiana.
"We started this 20 years ago, and over those 20 years we've [homed] in on how to do this very, very efficiently," Thomas Parkinson, co-founder of Peapod, told the Indianapolis Star. "Even when we've had tough times, we stick it out."
Peapod's move into Indiana comes even though others have failed in previous attempts to make online grocery work in the state.
"It's been tried all over the map, and it's never done well in Indiana," Joe Lackey, president of the Indiana Grocery & Convenience Store Association, told the Star.
Mr. Lackey said Hoosiers are most comfortable shopping for themselves when it comes to fresh meat and produce.
"They want to touch it, feel it, hold it, smell it and make sure it's OK," he said.
Discussion Questions: Why has Peapod succeeded where so many others have not? What do you see for Peapod's future and that of other online grocers?