Instacart Expands in Chicago
San Francisco-based Instacart has expanded its geographic coverage in Chicago, adding five new ZIP codes on the North Side which include the Lake View, Ravenswood, Irving Park, Avondale, Andersonville, Uptown, Edgewater and Albany Park neighborhoods.
The company also has added Costco delivery in Chicago. Instacart already offered delivery from Whole Foods and the soon-to-be-shuttered Dominick’s chain in Chicago; customers can now combine items from all three stores into one order and have them all delivered the same day.
“Our base in Chicago is growing quickly, with hundreds of new customers each week," said Instacart founder and CEO Apoorva Mehta. "Since launching here in September, we’ve already expanded from one store to three. Costco delivery was near the top of the customer-request list, and we’re happy we could get it in place before the holidays.”
Originally launched in San Francisco, Instacart expanded to Chicago in September. The company has disrupted the traditional grocery delivery space with its crowdsourced labor force dubbed “Personal Shoppers” who shop for and deliver grocery orders using their own vehicles in as little as one hour. This eliminates the need for costly infrastructure such as warehouses, trucks and full-time drivers. Instacart is not affiliated with the stores; its model is to connect customers with Personal Shoppers who shop on their behalf.
Instacart service is now available in 21 neighborhoods: Lake View, Lincoln Park, Logan Square, West Town, Near West Side, Lower West Side, Near North Side, Loop, Near South Side, Avondale, Uptown, North Center, Andersonville, Ravenswood, Edgewater; plus portions of Irving Park, Albany Park, Douglas, Bridgeport, Armour Square and McKinley Park. Consumers can visit to sign up for free Instacart accounts online. All new customers get complimentary delivery on their first order.
Instacart boasts that it's the only service that can deliver groceries from multiple local stores within an hour. Customers can choose from a variety of local stores and can mix items from multiple stores into one order.