NEWS

Google Express comes to Montgomery

Brad Harper
Montgomery Advertiser

Can’t make that quick run to Costco, or Whole Foods, or PetSmart today? Google will be happy to do it for you, for a fee.

On Tuesday, the company started rolling out its new Google Express service in Montgomery and other parts of Alabama. It lets people buy online or through an app and have items delivered from local stores the same day, overnight or within two days, depending on where you live and the time you order.

They’re not delivering frozen or refrigerated items yet, but you can get other kinds of groceries.

The service costs $95 a year, or about $5 per order if you’d rather pay as you go. If you don’t meet a store’s minimum order size – usually about $15 – they may tack on a $3 small order fee.

Google Express launched in some of the nation’s biggest cities a few years ago, slowly expanding and adding services as it came to new areas. Tuesday’s launch includes a big swath of the Southeast – Kentucky, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee. It expanded to most of the Northeast last month.

The widespread rollout is meant to better position the company against competitors like Amazon in the quick-delivery arena. Google uses local carriers and retail companies to deliver the items.

The stores involved in the Alabama launch include Costco, Whole Foods Market, Kohl’s, PetSmart, Road Runner Sports, Sur La Table, Fry’s, Walgreens, L’Occitane, Payless Shoe Source and Guitar Center.

The service doesn’t accept coupons or do price-matching. Prices on the site sometimes differ from in-store prices, though the company said you’ll usually see in-store promotions reflected on Google Express.

You can see more about the service at Google.com/Express.

Google is launching its same-day and overnight delivery service in Alabama starting Tuesday.