Amazon Fresh is Amazon’s online grocery store, which offers a combination of branded items and Amazon's own brand — known simply as ‘fresh’ products — but there are also plenty of budget options to choose from.
Amazon acquired Whole Foods back in 2017 and more recently has been offering Whole Foods grocery shopping via the Amazon website and app, through a service called Whole Foods Market. Most people will know Whole Foods are all about higher-priced, organic and health-focused foods, so the two services don’t really compete in terms of the groceries on offer.
While this service is convenient for Amazon Prime members, we've reviewed plenty of other best grocery delivery services which might suit your needs better.
Requires an Amazon Prime membership
Requires requesting an invitation
Whole Foods and Amazon products available
Deals and coupons available
Order can be changed until it starts being packed
Free delivery over $35/$50, for eligible areas
Unrefrigerated delivery trucks
1-hour delivery slot for an additional fee
Shop with Amazon Alexa
Tipping can be added at checkout
A lot of us regularly buy from Amazon, so we’re familiar with the website and the shopping experience, which makes the transition to grocery shopping much easier than getting to know a new grocery shopping website. As well as food, there are cleaning supplies, health and beauty as well as pet foods on offer - all the items you’d usually expect to find at your local supermarket.
Amazon says that shopping through Amazon Fresh is by invitation only, but in reality, all this means is you have to request an invitation, which then takes a few days to be approved. So, if you want to start grocery shopping on Amazon, allow a few extra days for this approval process.
Amazon Fresh: Shopping experience
The website is easy to navigate and you can shop for your groceries by aisle, just like in a regular supermarket, so it’s easy to find what you’re looking for.
One frustrating thing about buying groceries from Amazon is that you can’t combine items from Amazon Fresh with items from Whole Foods Market into the same cart. They’re delivered from different locations so you have to check out separately for each cart and the delivery time slots may be different depending on what’s available.
As you’d expect from Amazon, fans of Alexa (Amazon's voice-controlled virtual assistant) can make use of the Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market integration by simply asking Alexa to add items to their grocery list, then accessing the list when shopping via the Alexa lists tab.
Some other grocery delivery services offer the option to choose a replacement or substitute item if your first choice is out of stock, but Amazon doesn’t, so you may end up with unwanted substitutes.
The past purchases section makes it easy to see items you’ve previously bought and quickly refill your cart with your favorites. You can add items to your Fresh cart which is separate from your standard Amazon cart. We like this feature because it’s handy to be able to add items through the week as you notice you’re running low without having to save them if you decide to buy something else from the regular Amazon store. There’s also a Deals section that brings together all the coupons and clearance items under one tab, so you can easily find discounted items.
Amazon allows you to change or add items to your grocery order right up until the point that your shopper starts picking your order, which is really useful if you suddenly run out of something after you’ve placed your order.
Amazon Fresh: Fees
An Amazon Prime membership is required, which costs $12.99 per month or $119 per year, but this gets you access to much more than just Amazon Fresh, including free shipping on regular Amazon orders as well as access to Prime Video and Prime Music. From that point of view, it’s much more cost-effective than other online grocery store memberships.
Delivery fees vary, with free Amazon Fresh delivery available to Prime members in certain regions depending on how much you spend. Generally, if you’re in an eligible region and spend over $35 you’ll get free two-hour delivery, otherwise, you’ll need to spend over $50 for free delivery if you are in an eligible area. If you want delivery within a one-hour time slot, additional fees apply.
Tipping is completely optional but can be added at the checkout stage and the amount can be amended for up to 24 hours after delivery. Amazon says tips go directly to the courier.
Amazon Fresh: Delivery
Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market on Amazon offer same-day delivery, just schedule a two-hour delivery slot that suits you. As we mentioned above, one-hour slots are also available at an additional delivery cost.
Pickup is available for both Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods orders depending on the area you’re in, with no additional fees nor minimum order.
Grocery delivery isn’t made in a refrigerated truck, as Amazon says perishables should be packed in packaging designed to keep them at the proper temperature, but you’ll still need to be diligent about getting everything perishable into the refrigerator or freezer as soon as it arrives at your door.
Should you use Amazon Fresh?
If you’ve got an Amazon Prime account already, it’s a convenient way to shop for groceries with fast delivery times, without having to sign up for another subscription or delivery pass. We think the familiarity of the Amazon website makes shopping for groceries there quick and easy, but having used Amazon for years to shop for other items, buying groceries from it does feel a little strange.
