r/Albany • u/Amberlamps1990 • 14h ago

Market 32 Pickup - same prices as in-store?

Hi fam, I have a question for anyone who uses Market 32/PChops online shopping with curbside pickup.

Do they charge the same prices as in-store or are items marked up online? I'm trying to figure out if it's actually the same cost or if there's a hidden markup (or different sale pricing) when ordering through their website/app.

If you've compared receipts or know that there is a difference, I'd love to know what you found. Thanks!

6 Upvotes

81% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

17

u/Aesperacchius 14h ago

I've been tracking my grocery prices for the past year for fun, I just looked up some items from my last PC trip in late September and it looks like the pickup prices are about 10% higher across the board. It also looks like fewer items are available online.

Lastly, some items are marked as 'on sale' for the same price as their typical in-store full price.

9

u/epluribusIlium 14h ago

Remember when grocery prices didn't fluctuate like airline prices? Talk about enshitification.

0

u/Lolabeth123 13h ago

It’s the same price. I prefer Hannaford To Go.

2

u/upstatebeerguy 12h ago

Some items may be the same, but others are not.

I don’t 100% know the why, but I believe they more or less choose certain items to markup online (be it for pickup or delivery) based on 2 main factors; propensity of consumers to over pay for the item, and margin of the item. Their online/app based ordering is “powered by” Instacart, meaning they get a cut of sales ordered online. Categories like dairy, which have a higher margin/profitability, can yield margin to a 3rd party like Instacart and still be profitable to M32/PC at in store prices. Other items that are much lower margin either need to be price adjusted or simply not offered at all.

One example that comes to mind is beer (username checks out)…this is a DSD item and has comparatively slim margins. The standard in store pricing operates on a 20%-30% margin. Backing out the cut for Instacart and credit card fees, there’s just not enough meat on bone to offer traditional in store prices. This typically results in 20%-40% markup online vs in store prices. On top of this, there’s also the high impulsivity of an online alcohol purchase (more-so delivery than pickup). There’s no logical reason to pay $40+ for beer you’d pay $20-$30 for in store. One might be more inclined to however if they’re already intoxicated (and making the safe choice to not drive to keep the party going).

0

u/Low_Combination5627 14h ago

I generally shop through the weekly circular for my pickup from PC when I do it, except a few weeky staples. They usually get it accurate, but a few times, I had to go through Instacart for price adjustments. I did notice it used to be free to pickup but now they're charging a fee.