Major change for shoppers as Kroger expands customer service — and that’s good news for online ordering

KROGER has expanded its services to 36 states, without opening new stores.

The retail company offers grocery delivery services to more and more shoppers with high-tech distribution centers in states like Oklahoma and Florida.

Kroger has broken into the Sooner State market by building a massive industrial hub in Oklahoma City that will ship groceries through online ordering, CoStar News reports.

Instead of going to a physical location, these fulfillment centers deliver groceries to customers using artificial intelligence.

“Fulfillment centers will basically prepare an order in less than four minutes,” said Kroger business development manager Rita Williams.

“And the baskets delivered on a refrigerated truck.

“You can get your ice cream with your Cheerios. I’ve been doing it for two years and I don’t know how I did it before home delivery.”

As part of its partnership with British online grocer Ocado, The Kroger Co. quickly popped up with CFCs in various states.

According to The Ocado Group, centers come in different sizes, ranging from large to micro-distribution centers.

CFCs “address the wide range of next-day, same-day, and immediacy shopping missions that Kroger customers are looking for online,” he said.

Officials said the market had changed and grocery leaders were required to meet the ever-changing needs of their customers.

That means technology is key to providing shoppers with the best possible service, executives said.

A microsite that opened in South Florida in 2021, has incredible automated systems that can choose from 10,000 same-day options and can be filled in as little as 30 minutes.

Customers can also choose to receive orders the next day and can choose from 35,000 different products, reports the Miami New Times.

The system works by using 1,000 robots that buzz around a central grid system known as “the hive” as part of Ocado’s proprietary air traffic control system.

Completed orders collected by the bots are loaded into refrigerated vehicles that keep fresh produce cool as it travels directly to a customer’s home.

Technology doesn’t completely take over, however, as each center requires the assistance of hundreds of employees who help process, pack and load orders.

“We are committed to providing a fresh and convenient shopping experience for our customers,” Kroger Vice President and Chief Ecommerce Officer Bill Bennett said in a statement last year.

“With zero compromise on quality, selection and affordability,” he added.

“From the personalized shopping experience, easy digital coupons, valuable fuel points and high-quality fresh produce, to refrigerated trucks, trained and uniformed drivers, we look forward to Oklahoma City customers and San Antonio enjoy all the benefits of online shopping Kroger has to offer.

Kroger now has high-tech distribution centers in Florida, Texas, Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Oklahoma.

There are also plans for more fulfillment centers that could be built in Colorado, California, Maryland, Arizona, Cleveland, North Carolina and the Northeast.