Groceries Right to Your Doorstep

In the pursuit of restocking your kitchen with food each week, what used to be a regular trip to the grocery store can now just be a few clicks of the mouse.

On Sept. 26, Stop & Shop launched its national Peapod service in more than 14 Southern N.H. communities, allowing residents to order groceries right online. The towns involved are all locations surrounding Nashua, including Londonderry, Derry, Pelham and right here in Windham.

According to a press release, the service was launched in 1989 as a "smart shopping option for busy people." It has made more than 20 million deliveries since its inception 22 years ago. 

According to Peg Merzbacher, a spokesperson for Peapod, the specific communities chosen in N.H. were based on the most public interest.

"We track the ZIP codes that visitors enter on our site and regularly look at those zip codes that get the most inquiries, said Merzbacher. "The N.H. ZIPs we just opened up for delivery are ZIPs that were frequently entered.

After you enter your ZIP code on the Peapod website, you are automatically taken to the grocery area. There you can browse products from different categories to add to your cart. There is a calandar page right on the site where you can set a delivery time window for when you would like your products to be delivered.

According to Merzbacher, it's not meant to be an alternative service to an actual grocery store, but rather a more advantageous service.

"The goal is to provide a convenient service for people who may have trouble getting to the supermarket, either because they have a physical handicap, transportation challenges, have small children or simply don't have much time," said Merzbacher.

In previous towns, Merzbacher said that the response has been very positive. Some people use it all of the time while others will use it only once a month for stocking up. People will also use the service to avoid driving in the winter.

"Customers are very smart about making it work for them," said Merzbacher.

Along with households, the Peapod service also caters to businesses. There is also a mobile app available for shopping on the go, which is available on pretty much every device.