Prime Pantry, Amazon's grocery delivery service, has been permanently shut down. Launched in 2014, the service was terminated this past Wednesday, reports Bloomberg. A brief message saying "Amazon Pantry has been discontinued" can be found on Pantry's former homepage.
Amazon Prime Pantry began as a Prime member perk. The service offered delivery of non-perishable food, snacks, and cleaning products. It was designed for shoppers who like to stock up on supplies and originally required that you fill your virtual Prime Pantry cart before your order would ship.
In 2008, Amazon revamped its Prime Pantry service and turned it into a $5 per month subscription service on top of the required Prime member fee. The change came with unlimited Prime Pantry orders each month provided shoppers met a $40 minimum requirement. Orders under $40 required a $7.99 fee.
Amazon Prime Pantry — alternatives
The death of Prime Panty doesn't mean Amazon is backing off on grocery deliveries. If anything, Amazon has been doubling down on groceries, especially in light of the pandemic and its new competitor, Walmart Plus. Amazon customers can also take advantage of Amazon Fresh for fresh food deliveries and Whole Foods delivery service via Prime Now.
Outside of Amazon's grocery delivery options, there are other popular options like Instacart and FreshDirect, both of which hold a spot on our list of best grocery delivery services. For meals you can enjoy instantly, there are also options like Grubhub and DoorDash, which are among the best food delivery services you'll find.
Lastly, you might consider one of the best meal kit delivery services. Our Hello Fresh review explains the pros and cons of getting pre-portioned groceries delivered.
